Snape's Master Plan
by Grey Lady1
Summary: Now in exile in Mundane Canada, Snape hatches a plot to defeat Voldemort once and for all. Will old adversaries be willing to become allies and help him to carry out his plan? Sequel to THE HEALER
1. Snape's First Day

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL TO "THE HEALER"

The story so far:

The time is 2002. Long suspecting that Snape has been acting as a double agent and is really spying for Dumbledore, Voldemort accuses him in a horrific trial of duplicity. In spite of Snape's valiant attempts at hiding his real purpose, the truth comes out. Voldemort exacts a terrible punishment on him - he removes the Dark Mark in the most painful way imaginable and sets the Dementors upon him to leave a powerful warning for Dumbledore and his followers.

Luckily, Snape's broken body is discovered in the forest by Remus Lupin, who returns him to Hogwarts before death can overtake him. Nora Sterling, a 33-year-old mediwitch and former student, who has returned to Hogwarts from Canada to assist Madame Pomfrey in caring for casualties of war, saves Snape from the effects of his run-in with the Dementors, but as a side effect of the cure, they fall in love. 

Dumbledore decides that the safest haven for Snape is to return to Canada with Nora. But not only has Snape gone into exile on another continent, he has actually entered the Mundane dimension where magic does not exist, except for those native abilities possessed by a wizard and by few adepts such as Nora.

Somehow the Death Eaters learn of Snape's planned escape and warn Nora that her cooperation will cost her dearly. In making arrangements to travel to Canada from London, they are dogged by Algernon Welkin, a man suspected of being a Death Eater spy. His real purpose turns out to be less sinister, but the truth may inconvenience the two lovers more than a dozen of Voldemort's followers. 

* * *

Chapter 1: Snape's First Day

Severus Snape's first day in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, in Mundane North America, had not been an auspicious one. First there had been the matter of the missing luggage, which had contained all his clothing and nearly £500k, enough money to keep him going in his new home for a year or more if necessary. Secondly there had been the necessity to fool a customs agent and enter Canada by using a passport made out to his female companion, Eleanora Sterling, an exercise that had been intolerably taxing in spite of the pliability of the young agent. And thirdly, there had been that disastrous first meeting with Nora's best friend.

They had arrived at Nora's home early on a Thursday evening in late July. The heat was the first thing that had struck him about this place. Having spent most of his life in Northern Scotland had meant that summer heat was a foreign experience to him, and totally unexpected in a country that he had always assumed had a northern climate. There was not only the heat, but there was a debilitating tropical humidity that made his clothing stick to him. No wonder Nora had suggested he might consider wearing short pants and light shirts. Right now they seemed like a damned fine idea.

Just as Nora had been about to put her key in the lock of the leftmost door of the handsome two-story red brick home, she had asked him "How do you feel about cats?"

"You have cats?" he asked, feigning neutrality. How perfect... after a day like today he should have to meet a feline. He loathed the creatures. He decided there was no point in upsetting Nora on her first day back, so he lied. "I'm not bothered by cats one way or the other, particularly. As long as yours doesn't openly despise me I suppose we shall get along."

Nora had just put the key into the lock when the door was yanked open from inside. "Surprise! Welcome home!" an irritatingly perky female voice called from within.

"Angie! This is very naughty of you! You weren't supposed to be here when we got home!" Nora exclaimed. "And your hair is _blue_." 

"Yeah," said the skimpily clad younger girl, running a hand through the appalling and unnaturally coloured mess of her hair. "Blueberry Kool-Aid. Like it?"

Severus shuddered inwardly, expertly masking his distaste. It was a good thing Nora was not able to read his mind as easily as he was able to read hers. At least he had perfected the subtle art of cloaking his innermost thoughts from her. 

Angie, transparently, did not like him. Being supernaturally empathic, he had read the cause of it the moment he laid eyes on her: she was jealous of his presence and the impact it would have on her attachment to Nora. But the feeling was clearly expressed in the look she had given him when shaking his hand.

Upon entering the house the younger female had immediately attached herself to Nora, who was clearly the star in her firmament. It reminded him sickeningly of the adulation that Potter's little sycophants had lavished upon him when he had first arrived at Hogwarts. That was not all; Snape had wanted to be alone with Nora and to begin to feel comfortable in his new home, but this annoying little blue-haired flibbertigibbet simply would not leave. She had insisted upon staying and making them supper, of all things. Supper was the last thing he had wanted at that moment. 

Still, he had tried to be tolerant and polite, and determined that the best way of doing this was simply to stay out of the way. While Nora and Angie had gone off to consult about something in the kitchen Severus had stayed in the living room, trying to get a sense of the place. When Nora returned he had felt compelled to comment. "I like this house, it has a good feel to it. And I like your choice of colour. But your friend Can't you just ask her politely to go?" he pleaded.

"Please, Sev, I don't want to hurt her feelings. I'm sure she'll be out of here as soon as she's fixed us something to eat. In the meantime, let me give you the house tour." He unwillingly found himself being led up the stairs. 

It was not a bad house on the whole. He certainly was not insincere in his compliments on the décor. Whether the house had come that way or whether Nora had decorated it herself, the overall result was much to his liking, especially the master suite with its navy wallpaper and black tiled bathroom. The large double bed had looked particularly inviting, and Nora, in spite of her obvious fatigue, looked rather enticing herself. He found himself filled with a longing to sweep her onto the bed and have her then and there, pesky visitors be damned. 

"I should have carried you over the threshold or something," he said, embracing her and trying unsuccessfully to interest her in a little romantic interlude.

"Under the circumstances, maybe I should have carried you!" she laughed, quickly brushing off his advances. Disappointed, he allowed himself to be dragged through the rest of the upstairs, and inevitably back to the kitchen, where the dreaded Angie awaited.

Severus forgot his earlier determination to stay out of the conversation, and his rejoinder was immediately seen as an opening to attack him. Nora was appalled at her friend's outburst. 

"Relax, Sev can take a joke, can't you Ooh sorry," the younger girl quickly recanted. "I guess I should get to know you a little better before I start giving you the full benefit of my caustic wit."

"If I ever _do_ allow you to 'get to know me better', you will find that it would be very unwise to engage me in a battle of wits," he warned her darkly.

That closed her smart mouth quickly enough, and her departure seemed imminent. But suddenly he found himself being hustled out onto the deck and handed a beer, in a bottle, of all things. Nora was mortified.

Her reaction baffled him. After all, he had only responded with the sort of warning he would have given to any other disrespectful student or underling. But her anger was unmistakeable - it had not taken much of his empathic power to read that. He now found himself in the uncomfortable position of making peace with the young lady and of mending fences with the love of his life. 

Apparently making the supreme effort to apologize to Angie had gone a long way towards appeasing Nora, but he had felt he needed to do more. This was an unaccustomed feeling for him. It had been years since he had felt he needed or wanted to appease anyone's anger. The only people in his life who had ever made him feel that way in the past had been his mother and his sisters, Cordelia and Valeria. They were all dead now, it had pained him to recall. And since their death he had not allowed himself to feel that he had needed anyone else comforting and caring in his life. No one else, that is, except Lily Evans.

When Nora had entered his life, he had just survived an attack by Dementors set upon him by Lord Voldemort. Voldemort had discovered that Snape's apparent loyalty to him had all been a ruse and that Snape had in fact been spying on him for Dumbledore instead of the opposite. The Dark Lord had punished his most trusted follower by first removing the Dark Mark with an extremely painful Incisio Excavatum spell which ate away most of the flesh on his left forearm, and then setting Dementors on him to effectively remove his soul. 

Luckily for him, Dementors are capricious and difficult to control. They succeeded only in creating in his mind a kind of fugue state, which, though tormenting enough, proved not to be fatal. His recovery from the attack was largely in part to his luck at being dumped by the Dementors in the Dark Forest outside Hogwarts, where he had been rescued by Remus Lupin of all people, and had been carried by Lupin and Hagrid to the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

Nora Sterling, a mediwitch with considerable healing powers and a degree in conventional medicine and naturopathy, had recently been taken on at Hogwarts to assist Madame Pomfrey in dealing with casualties of war. It was she who had been able to affect his cure from the Dementors attack. It seemed that while suffering an episode of anguish and self-recrimination brought about by the Dementor's attack, he had kissed Nora, believing her to be his lost Lily. Somehow the kiss had removed some of the effect of the curse, but it had had another side effect: whether through natural or supernatural agencies, he had fallen deeply in love with her, and she with him.

Nora's presence had another profound effect on his life. As he was now a marked man, it was necessary for him to go away from Europe and into hiding, for as long as Voldemort retained power. Nora was a Canadian and still had a home there. By taking him back with her she would be able to hide him from Voldemort and assist him in building a new life here in North America. 

But that had not turned out to be the whole story, for not only was Nora from the other side of the pond, it had also been revealed that her world was actually in another dimension apart from the one in which he existed. That dimension was known by only a handful of wizards as the Mundane dimension. It existed apart from his Magical dimension and was accessible through a number of portals found in random locations which attached themselves to arches or doorways present in both dimensions. By passing through such a portal in London, they had been able to escape capture by Voldemort and board an airliner for Mundane Canada. 

Today was the day he had finally arrived in his new home. And already he was mired in such mundane difficulties as losing his clothes and his money, and fighting with his lady's best friend. 

And, oh yes, there was that other annoying little issue that had revealed itself today: in this dimension, there existed a series of children's storybooks and a film about Harry Potter. 

And he, Severus Snape, was a character in this so-called work of fiction.

* * *

NEXT: Appeasing Nora

* * *

A/N

A bit of backtracking here to review some of the last part of the story. I thought it might be interesting to retell some of this from Snape's POV. 

And many apologies for the delay in getting this on line! My beta-reader disappeared for a while, I got busy, I got stuck in my plot, Blah, blah, blah... a million bad excuses. My update schedule may not be as frequent as it was with the last story. 

- Grey Lady


	2. Appeasing Nora

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 2: Appeasing Nora

  
Severus woke late on his second morning in Stratford. Nora was already up, and it seemed from the coolness of the sheets on her side of the bed that she had been up for a while. He rose and rinsed the perspiration off his face (it was already intolerably hot, and so early in the day!) and rummaged through her closet for a robe of some sort. Without his suitcase he had nothing to wear but the clothes he had worn on the plane and it was already too warm for those. He managed to find a sort of black satin kimono with a green dragon embroidered on it, which did not appear to be overtly feminine in cut. That would do nicely, he thought as he put it on, and went downstairs to find her.

Nora was out on the deck drinking a cup of coffee. She had already been on her computer, had checked for e-mail and had found a message from Algernon Welkin, one of Dumbledore's agents in Mundane London. 

Welkin had proved to be a bit of a bother for them in London, but in the end it had not been his fault. Due to some as yet unexplained complications and the unfortunate circumstance of Nora receiving a frightening warning from one of the Death Eaters while in Muggle London, Welkin had been suspected of being a spy for Voldemort. Every time he had popped up in London they had done their best to avoid him, which had resulted in their having to change hotels and resort to some rather outlandish disguises in order to throw him off the scent. 

It had turned out he was merely trying to warn them of the existence of a series of books, written by an author in the Mundane dimension, about the real Harry Potter. Welkin's message explained how the books had come to be written and his involvement with it. This message Nora had printed out from her computer and was now handing to Snape to read for himself.

The short version was this: Welkin had met by chance, while on a visit to Mundane Edinburgh, a woman who was writing a series of children's books about a boy who discovers he's a wizard and is asked to attend a school to learn magic. Struck by the parallels between the book and his own world, he introduced her to a young lady of his acquaintance who was at that time attending Hogwarts and who was working on a biography of Harry Potter, and the two of them began to collaborate - without the knowledge or permission of Albus Dumbledore, of course.

Snape was appalled at the breach of protocol. It was bad enough that Welkin had introduced a wizard to a muggle and encouraged them to freely exchange information, but he had actually taken this woman into the Magical dimension from the Mundane one and provided her with proof of the existence of magic. Now these blasted books had been written, published and apparently been made into a film, in which he, himself, was a featured character. 

The true irony of the situation struck home when he realised that the little collaborator must have been none other than Ginny Weasley, whose father and brother both worked in the Ministry of Magic. He wondered if in fact the elder Weasley's had been aware of the breach? If the truth were known within the Ministry, both of them would be fired instantly and if they were not fired they would at least be put in the position of disciplining their young relative. This thought gave Snape a small amount of satisfaction. Just wait until he was able to pass the information on to Dumbledore!

Nora, however, did not seem to think the problem was as serious as he did. In her mind they were only going to be considered works of fiction in this dimension. Surely no one would be daft enough to accept the story as fact. The style of writing suggested fantasy, and certain non-factual details added to the feeling of unreality. She had strongly urged him not to tell Dumbledore about the books until they could assess the damage, or at least read them for themselves. 

Grudgingly, Snape agreed. If no real harm had been done perhaps it was best not to alarm certain persons in the Wizarding dimension. Albus Dumbledore probably had enough on his plate at the moment without dealing with this silly problem.

In the meantime, it was decided that they would purchase and read the books.

* * *

That morning Severus prepared breakfast for his lady. Although he had not had an opportunity to cook in quite some time, he usually found that he quite enjoyed doing it. On the rare occasions when he was in his own home on summer holidays or other breaks from school, and particularly on his last hiatus from Hogwarts, he preferred to do for himself while at home, and had no servants. Not trusting house elves and having a particular loathing for the ugly, malformed little creatures (who bore little resemblance to the splendid Elvish race of yore and, in actuality, were more closely related to Goblins) he wouldn't have them in the house.

He was wary of some of the newfangled gadgets Nora had in her kitchen, particularly something called a "microwave" which appeared to be able to cook food without using a flame -- he had watched her reheat a cup of coffee in it. He had coped well with her gas-fired stove, which operated very much like the old gas cooker he had at home, except that he had been surprised to discover he did not need a match to light the burners. 

Nora seemed particularly pleased with his efforts and praised him lavishly, which naturally had the effect of making him want to do it more often. Was the way to her heart perhaps through her stomach? 

Also in the interest of appeasing her, he had gone out of his way for the remainder of the day to take an interest in her various projects, several of which had involved the dreaded activity of "Shopping". Luckily clothing shopping had not been a large part of this, but he did allow himself to be dragged into a men's clothing store for the purpose of outfitting him in a pair of short pants and something called a "golf" shirt. 

He had naturally heard of the game of golf; it was something Dumbledore and Lupin had unsuccessfully tried to interest him in; but he had no intention of taking up the game here or anywhere else and failed to see why he should be obliged to wear a shirt made solely for the purpose of playing this ridiculous Muggle "sport". Nora had explained that these shirts were comfortable, stylish and easy to care for. Accordingly, he was now wearing one. He had to admit, though, that the short pants did provide him with welcome relief from the heat and the shirt actually was quite comfortable.

The other shopping project had involved food, and this did not annoy him quite as much as shopping for clothing. In fact he found himself mentally planning menus and purchasing items for several of his favourite recipes, which he wanted to try out on her. 

Two more hurdles remained, after which he would presume that he had accumulated enough "points" to keep him in her good graces for quite a while: meeting Nora's cat, and her mother.

* * *

Later that afternoon, they were out on the deck again, the only place on the property where they seemed to be able to get any relief from the heat. There was that "fridge" thing in the kitchen and he had at one point suggested they just leave the door open and cool off the entire room, but Nora had said that would result in an enormous "hydro" bill (what did water have to do with it, he wondered?) He then attempted, without much success, to chill off the upstairs bathroom using his freezing skill, but the result was too much condensation on the walls, and the cooling effect was not long-lasting enough to be worthwhile. Luckily Nora had not yet noticed the water dripping down the walls. So until he thought of something else, cold drinks and passing breezes seemed to be the only relief.

"I think it might be a good idea to have the air conditioner on in our room tonight, just to get a break from the heat. I'm sorry I didn't think of it last night," Nora had mentioned in passing.

"What's an air conditioner?" 

"It's a machine that chills the air in the room to a comfortable level." 

"Humph. Why couldn't we have just followed my suggestion and used the fridge?"

Nora's cat also made her first appearance that afternoon. Apparently there had been some difficulty in coaxing it out of the closet and Snape sensed that Nora thought he might have been the cause for the cat's reluctance to rejoin society. He disliked cats as a rule, it was true, but he doubted highly that any feline was prescient enough to pick up on that. 

He had just finished reading (with much distaste) the first book in the Harry Potter series, which they had purchased that day, and was about to start on The Chamber of Secrets, in which, much to his displeasure, Lupin seemed to play a large part. The cat was sitting on Nora's lap and he decided it was time to make the supreme effort and make contact with it, aside from which he felt he needed a break. Making "friends" with this cat could not have been any less pleasant than reading that book.

Hesitantly, he reached out to stroke it. It didn't try to bite him; thus encouraged, he took it from Nora and put it into his lap. For some unaccountable reason the damned thing began to purr loudly as though it actually liked him. Cats never liked him. To his own surprise, he actually found himself warming up to the little creature. He stroked its silky soft fur with unaccountable pleasure, and even tried to talk to it. His attentions were rewarded with more purring and affection.

"I thought you said you didn't like cats?" Nora commented dryly.

"I didn't say I didn't like them, I just said I wasn't bothered by them one way or another."

Nora's reaction was one of profound amusement. Snape, regaining his composure, unceremoniously handed the animal back to her. "Ah, well, I suppose I should get back to my reading." 

"Glad to see the two of you getting along." Nora rose to go into the house. "I'm going to call my mother now. Wish me luck." 

* * *

NEXT: Meeting Wynona 

* * *

A/N

For those who were puzzled, as Snape was, by the term "hydro", it refers to "hydro-electricity" (electricity generated by water power) It's a bit of a regional term in Ontario as our key energy producer was once known as "Ontario Hydro" (before deregulation anyhow...)

Did you like Snape's version of his encounter with the cat?

- Grey Lady


	3. Meeting Wynona

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 3: Meeting Wynona

Nora had arranged a visit to see her mother in Toronto on the following Saturday. This was a visit he had been dreading, but it was at least comforting to know that he wasn't going to have to hide his identity or his powers from her: she was a witch herself, and knew all about the existence of Hogwarts Academy: the real one, that is.

The drive had proved more trying than the visit itself. Nora had chosen this time above any other to bring up the unfortunate episode of Lily Evans/Potter. She had of course read some of the books by this time and recognized the name he had uttered while under the effects of the Dementors attack. She had wanted to know if it was true that she had been young Potter's mother. Snape, sadly, had to admit that it was.

It had been painful for him, but he had told her the story of how, in his mind, and contrary to what was written in the Harry Potter books, his friendship with and unrequited love for Lily had resulted in his betrayal of the Potter family's hiding place to Voldemort. He had blamed gimself for the murder of both Lily and her husband James. It had also led to the near defeat of Voldemort, due to Lily's sacrifice to save her child Harry. 

Although it had turned out that Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail, had ultimately been named and punished as the culprit, and was most likely the original betrayer of the Potter's hiding place, Snape felt that he too, had betrayed them, and still felt the sting of guilt for his actions. After Sirius Black was blamed for the murders, he had even participated in his capture - though to his credit, he too was not entirely sure that Black had not committed the actual murders, possibly operating under Voldemort's orders. His shame over his betrayal of the Potters had been the primary motivation in recanting his affiliation with Voldemort and throwing himself on the mercy of Dumbledore by offering his services as a spy. 

But he had not told Nora the whole story. In fact, he had offered his services to Dumbledore as a spy long before the Potters were murdered. What Dumbledore did not know, and hopefully would never learn, was that for a time after that, Snape had been acting as a double agent - serving both sides until he decided for himself which would eventually win out - for he had always been strongly motivated by self-preservation.

It was true that his guilt over Lily's death and what he perceived to be his role in their betrayal had driven him to truly recant his loyalty to the dark side and to stop supplying the Death Eaters with useful information. But even this change of heart had been tainted: with Voldemort so badly injured and his powers so diminished by the backlash of the powerful spell that had protected Harry Potter, Snape dreaded what might have been required from him in the form of service to his master. Much of his power had been obtained at the expense of others, especially his loyal followers, and it would not have been a stretch to imagine that a huge personal sacrifice might be required of him to restore the evil wizard to his full capacity.

Nora had taken the facts hard enough as it was; there was no advantage in pointing out this omission. He only hoped that when she got around to reading the fourth book she would overlook or discount a particular passage concerning Dumbledore's testimony on his behalf.

Of all his flaws and bad deeds, cowardice and duplicity were the last things he would be willing to admit to her.

  
* * *

Nora's mother, Wynona Sterling, lived in a part of the large city Toronto that Snape could only describe as utter chaos. There were too many automobiles, too many roads, too many buildings that were far too tall, and too much noise. For once he was grateful that Nora lived where she did, in a gracious beautiful tree-lined neighbourhood in a much smaller city with lovely homes, many of which were over 100 years old (young by the standards of a wizard but considered old in a new world country.) 

The woman herself could not be described as physically threatening but she radiated a formidable power that Severus could detect before he got within twenty feet of her. Whether she had her guard up as a precaution against him in particular or if she was always this way when meeting new people he could not tell. In fact, he could not read her at all for at least an hour, until she slowly let down her defences. 

Once she had, he knew he was home free: it appeared that she respected him and approved of her daughter's choice of partner. He felt respect for her as well, and though he had determined to put up a pretence of liking her for Nora's sake, he found that he did not have to pretend at all. 

On the day they departed, while Nora was in the bedroom checking to see if they had left anything behind, Wynona slyly took him aside. "Come here a moment, Severus. I want you to see something."

Snape, intrigued, watched as she stroked the head of a unicorn on a small carousel Nora had purchased in Diagon Alley and had given her as a gift. Although the magical animation of the figures was not supposed to work in this dimension, she was able, for a moment, to cause it to rear up and stamp its tiny feet. He was both amazed and amused at the display of magic and the fact that Wynona seemed to be doing it covertly while drawing him into her confidence. "How did you manage to do that?" he asked.

"Well, I've always had a certain touch when it comes to inanimate objects, but I think that I'm just able to coax out a bit of whatever charm is buried in this thing. Nora told me it wasn't supposed to work outside of magical places, but I've never been one to take 'no' for an answer!"

Naturally Snape couldn't tell her that what she had accomplished went beyond coaxing a little magic out of an enchanted object that had a damper on it: She had actually succeeded in putting some of the magical power back into it, albeit briefly. He was impressed with her powers. And perhaps there was more to this dimension and the few wizards and witches who lived here than was originally presumed.  


"Why didn't you want Nora to see this?" he asked.

"Oh, well, it's a little hard to explain. I always sort of get the impression that Nora doesn't approve of my using my powers," Wynona replied with a rueful smile.

"Why would you think that? She certainly uses her own powers, though I'm given to understand that she's very discrete about it."

"Yes, I suppose she got that way from all the years her father prevented her from displaying her talents. I had hoped to cure her of that when I was finally able to send her to Hogwarts. But she never even so much as showed me a simple spell when she came back. You know, I got the impression she was ashamed of her powers in some way. And I suppose, by extension, ashamed of me."

Snape was taken aback by this show of familiarity. It was rare that someone was willing to tell him her troubles on such short acquaintance, indeed, for anyone to want to confide in him at all, except for Nora. He knew that he did not appear to be the most sympathetic person in the world. 

Hardly knowing how to respond, he stammered, "I'm sure that Nora is in fact very proud of you, as she is of her own powers. That is the reason she chose a healing profession, is it not?" 

"I suppose, but I feel she's wasting herself with all these herbal remedies and Therapeutic Touch, or whatever she calls it. Perhaps now that she has someone like you in her life she will feel more encouraged to use her full potential," she said, laying a hand on his arm.

Clearly there were great misunderstandings between Nora and her mother. He could see where Nora might find her mother irritating; indeed, one comment made about sending their children to Hogwarts nearly put Nora into a conniption of embarrassment! However, he found her surprisingly easy to take, and after this conversation, even considered her a friend. 

* * *   


It was strange, he noted later, that while he rarely had patience for his students, and the presence of most other men made him feel anxious and keenly competitive, the presence of a sensible, stable and strong woman often made him feel quite calm and comfortable. He supposed that had been a happy by-product of having such loving older sisters. 

It therefore surprised him that he was anxious in Nora's presence and continually craved her affection and approval. When he had told her about his past, she seemed to become cold and distant towards him. Even when she had reassured him that she loved him and that whatever he'd done in the past was in the past and had nothing to do with her, he couldn't help feeling that she had withdrawn something of her affection from him. It wasn't anything he could read from her so much as what he felt. 

He remembered feeling that way about Lily, and when she had tried to get him to recant his affiliation with Voldemort the feeling of anxiety that her disapproval had provoked in him made him turn away from her. Realising that, he determined not to let Nora's withdrawal of approval get the better him. It would be hard to pretend he didn't care how she felt about him, but it was paramount that he not let his reactions make him do something he'd regret later. 

All the same, he could not shake the feeling that he needed to regain her confidence in him. He knew he had had it once. But recently he felt it slipping away. He now regretted making his confession to her about his part in the Potters' murder. 

But he could sense there was more to it than that. Earlier this week, she had insisted on watching that silly movie about Potter, and had forced him to watch a section of it in which some actor had portrayed him teaching a potions class. He couldn't see the strong resemblance that Nora and apparently her friend Angie had remarked upon, although he supposed the portrayal was fair enough for someone who had never met him. 

What had struck him, though, was not so much the playacting as Nora's reaction to it. To his horror, he could detect arousal and sexual attraction from her - and it was not caused by his presence in the room, but by the image on the screen. 

But what had truly alarmed him was that somehow this image recalled for her the man that she had fallen in love with. Somehow, in her eyes, he had become diminished.

He had to do something to win back her admiration.  


* * *

NEXT: What Every Tyrant Wants

* * *

A/N

More retelling from Snape's point of view: I think he will find Wynona a valuable ally in the future. 

- Grey Lady


	4. What Every Tyrant Wants

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 4: What Every Tyrant Wants

Snape had been in Mundane Canada for two weeks; he needed to learn more about the world he now found himself in. The best way of doing that was by reading about history. Nora had mentioned that there was a library nearby, so while she busied herself in her garden collecting herbs for various homeopathic remedies she made for her naturopathic medical practise, he went off to the local library and got himself a borrower's card. 

He had a problem. All his forged personal identification was in his real name, Severus Snape, but in this dimension that was the name of a fictional character. He had already had so many strange reactions to his name that he decided he needed to come up with a logical explanation for it. The solution was simple: the next time he got a funny remark about his name, he had merely to explain that in fact he was a personal friend of J.K. Rowling, and had given her permission to "borrow" his unusual name for a character in her famous books. That had certainly satisfied the ladies at the library. 

What had been harder to do, however, was come up with identification that included his current address - the library required it. It was rather easy to convince library staff by the means of mind control that his driver's license had a local address on it. This particular natural skill of his kept coming in handy, but very soon he would need to put in for a change of address for the false driver's license that had been created for him by the document forgers in London. The less he had to manipulate people over small matters such as these the easier he would find life here.  
  
Snape began to Mundane 20th century history in depth, beginning with WWII and Hitler and progressing to a few other notorious dictators and fascist world leaders. He learned a few lessons along the way about human despots and their thirst for power. He felt an uncontrollable compulsion to cram in as much information as he could get his hands on in the shortest possible time.  


He must get back in the game as quickly as possible. Voldemort's defeat had seemed impossible up until now because to this day the balance of power between the good wizards and the Death Eaters had remained fairly even. There had been massive losses on either side, but the Dark Lord always seemed to know how far he could go before beating another retreat.

Nora took an active interest in his research but threw up her hands in disgust one night when he had borrowed the entire _World At War_ video series from the library and had insisted upon staying up all night to watch every tape. He had invited her to watch with him, but she demurred, saying she had already seen enough "grainy World War II footage" to last her a lifetime, thanks to her own father's obsession with WWII history. 

Upon his return from his most recent visit to the library, Nora picked up a few of the books he had brought back with him and examined the titles.

"Hmm. You seem to keep coming back to Hitler. I told you he was a pretty bad guy, didn't I?" she remarked.

"Yes, it's quite fascinating really. I'm no expert on psychology, but it appears the man was quite insane."

"My take on him was always that he was a psychopath who succeeded by surrounding himself with power hungry followers who carried out his every suggestion."

"Indeed, including some very unsavoury ideas they managed to come up with all on their own. But in the end, it appears he was overcome by failing to act when his military defeat seemed imminent."

"And by biting off far more than he could chew when he tried to take over Russia," Nora added. 

"Yes," Snape replied thoughtfully. "You know, I can see some parallels between Hitler and Voldemort, but the differences are also important. It's clear he's surrounded himself with power-hungry followers, but luckily none of them seem to have the diabolical imagination or the initiative of a Joseph Goebbels."

"That's good news, at least. But what is it that you think he wants? To me, the struggle always just seemed to be an 'Us against Them' kind of thing - just a gang war, really. It always seemed like he'd just go after anyone who opposed him, but I was never certain why."

"It was all about consolidation of power with him. The fewer people who opposed him the more power he could have."

"But what does he plan to DO with that power? There must be some purpose behind it! Is he waiting for most of the good wizards to be either out of the picture or converted before he reveals his Master Plan? Is he going to start putting Muggles into concentration camps and making slaves of them? Is this some sort of Racial Purity issue? Exterminate all Muggles to make the world a better place for Wizards?"

"Possibly. So far he's refrained from making mass attacks against Muggles, but I figure it is only a matter of time before it becomes his goal to enslave Muggles in some way and force them to do his will. But in all my years as a spy for Dumbledore, I was never privy to what his ultimate goal might have been."

"If he was ever suspicious of you, you'd be the last person he'd tell," said Nora. "And if that's his plan, you know Dumbledore won't stand for it. He'd find a way to bring down the hammer if that much were at stake."

"That's a given, but Dumbledore certainly has done all he can up to now to prevent anything that terrible from happening. Voldemort must be biding his time until the forces of good are so weakened as to be unable to prevent him from going forward with whatever his plan might be," Snape replied. "It's becoming a war of attrition."

"So what are you thinking? Is all this research telling you anything?"

"What I seem to be finding out by reading about these very nasty characters is that they all seem bent on the domination of others -- in other words power for its own sake. Eventually some of them are foiled by their own age and infirmity, but most seem to 'bite off more than they can chew' as you so aptly put it. Perhaps Voldemort is smart enough not to do that."

"Perhaps, but maybe it's just that no one's offered him a big enough prize."

"My thoughts exactly. If we could just provide some sort of incentive for him to make him tip his hand or act rashly, we might have him."

"You said something earlier about allowing Voldemort to enter this dimension. Surely you're not planning to actually do that?" she said, aghast at the idea.

"Yes, exactly! But think of it. A lot of his power is centred on forces outside of himself. Most wizards' power comes from without - it's just our ability to draw those forces to us and control them that makes us powerful."

"This sounds like the Jedi Knights using the Force or something."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing, just another movie reference"

"Well, no matter. Many of us seem to have some native abilities, for example, your healing powers and telekinesis"

"And your mind control and mind-reading abilities, and that freezing thing you do."

"Yes, those things were not affected by passing over to this dimension - if anything, I feel that my powers are getting stronger."

"Maybe that's just because you have to rely on them so much more here."

"Perhaps... but my wand, and other magical objects we brought over, don't work at all here." 

"You brought your wand with you?" she asked incredulously. 

"Just as an experiment. I wanted to see if I could make it work. Let me show you" 

With that, they went up to the bedroom, where Snape kept his personal things. He produced a wand from the bottom of a drawer. 

"What if the customs inspectors had seen that?" said Nora testily, as he produced the wand.

"I would have told them it was a conductor's baton or something. Anyway, they didn't. And I seem to recall that you brought yours back from Hogwarts with you."

"I didn't know better. I was only eighteen!"

"Do you still have it?"

"No, I - um - buried it somewhere after I got back home and discovered I couldn't make it work. I thought that I had broken it and I was too ashamed to show it to my mother. I think I told her I'd had some sort of accident with it... I don't really recall." Nora's face reddened considerably as she made this confession. "Anyway, show me what happens when you try to use it."

* * *

NEXT: Wand Waving and Sabre Rattling

* * *

A/N

I'm not getting much response to this story. I'm wondering if people are managing to find it? Or are folks simply finding it too boring? 

I am still writing... Please R&R!!

- Grey Lady


	5. Wand Waving and Sabre Rattling

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 5: Wand Waving and Sabre Rattling

"Mind you," Snape said, "I was never much of a wand-waver. I mostly resorted to potions to achieve my objectives." He hefted the dark wooden object tentatively, and selecting one of Nora's scarves from her dresser to levitate, gave it a small flick and uttered "Textillium Leviosa". The wand made a small "phut" sound and produced a half-hearted sprinkle of sparks, but the scarf behaved as if glued to the dresser. 

"Give me that," Nora exclaimed, as the scarf flew instantly to her outstretched hand.

"Well, yes, I knew _you_ could do that, but I wanted to show you that I couldn't do it with my wand. Normally something like that would be a piece of cake."

"Try something else."

Casting about for something to experiment with, Snape intentionally broke a small hand mirror, waved his wand at it and said "Reflectarum Reparo". Once again, the wand gave off a fart of sparks and the mirror remained as it was.

"Well, thanks so much. Now my mirror is broken," she said in exasperation. 

"I'll buy you a new one. But you see my point, don't you?"

"I'm confused. Those were just small examples, and Welkin said that some minor forms of magic would work here, like the magical tags they hung on us in London."

"A magical tag is a very small charm and doesn't take much doing. Certainly not as much as a Reparo spell. But you do see my point?"

"I suppose... What was it again?"

"My point was that Voldemort very likely wouldn't have much magic at his disposal if he were to cross over here. And therefore, he would be very easy to overcome and defeat."

"Assuming that he didn't A, bring a whole army of wizards with him, or B, have some devastating natural ability at his disposal. Which might be what, by the way?"

"His native magical abilities? Well, he's a Parselmouth for one thing, but I don't imagine the ability to talk to snakes is going to do him much good in the heart of Mundane London. And I believe he can communicate with the dead, but as the dead can't act against the living, there's no real threat there. If he has any other powers, I don't know what they might be."

"Wait a minute... Does Voldemort even have any sort of physical body any more? From what I've been reading, he's had to use supernatural means several times in order to bring himself back from a purely spiritual form, hasn't he?"

"I assure you that the body he is using at present is more or less physical, even though it was re-created by supernatural means." Snape had to admit to himself that he wasn't entirely sure what sort of being Voldemort was anymore, but he was not going to admit that to Nora.

"So, presuming he hasn't transformed himself into some sort of evil spirit, you don't think you'd have any trouble taking him on if he was in this dimension?"   


"Not if I had other Wizards to back me up. I'd presume Lupin would be willing to help me, and I'm sure we could recruit others."

"Like Harry Potter?"

Snape groaned in disgust. "Yes, like Potter. And perhaps a few of his other little friends might prove useful as well, once I've figured out a plan. But I was thinking in terms of a few older, more powerful Wizards." 

Nora crossed her arms and fumed silently for a moment. "So, Severus, let me get this straight... you're planning to go back to London, lure Voldemort over to the Mundane side where you and a bunch of other wizards can have some sort of grand showdown with him?"

"In essence, yes. But of course the plan would involve"

Nora cut him off. "You're planning to return to the very place where your life is in grave danger and face down the very person who is trying to kill you? And on a public street in London, where normal people might get hurt? Not to mention the police might decide to see what the ruckus was all about"

"Now just wait a minute, Nora," he snarled. "First of all you have no idea what I'm planning to do, or how I intend to carry it out."

"Sounds to me like you don't have the first idea how you're going to carry it out either," she shouted back.

"Not yet, but I will. I need to do more research, and of course the groundwork has to be carefully laid when I figure out what bait I am going to use to convince him to cross over. And I don't think I'm the one who's going to be doing the luring. It has to be someone he trusts, and obviously that is no longer _me_."

"Don't tell me you're intending to put someone _else_ in danger with this harebrained scheme?" she snapped.

"Oh, you are walking a _very_ thin line, young lady," he replied in a quietly menacing tone, advancing on her slightly. 

Nora quailed, but Snape couldn't help but notice that her pupils dilated at his words. Perhaps having this fight would not be a bad thing, as her present state of arousal seemed to promise that making up would be very enjoyable for both of them.

But she noticed his eyes flicking over to the bed and pulled him up short. "Oh no, you don't. You're not going to weasel out of this discussion by getting me all hot and bothered."

"Discussion, is it? I don't think my plans to defeat Voldemort are any of your concern, woman!"

"None of my concern! You were perfectly willing to discuss this with me just a minute ago."

"That was before you proved to be so unreasonable on the subject of my going back to England."

"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit touchy on the subject of your personal safety. I thought you'd be happy that I was concerned!"

"Not when you talk to me like I'm some sort of idiot!" 

"Well, you certainly seem to be _acting_ like one! And I cannot believe that you're actually considering doing something like this!" she wailed in frustration.

"You've already made your objections perfectly clear. And since you cannot be rational, then I suggest we end this conversation NOW!" With that he strode out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. 

Nora, dumbstruck, sank to the bed and wept. 

* * *

Moments after he slammed out of the bedroom Severus Snape felt as shocked and dismayed by their argument as Nora had. He very nearly turned back to apologize but something prevented him. That something, of course, was his pride. 

Lately he was having a difficult time reading her. Either she was getting better at masking her thoughts from him or he was becoming subconsciously unwilling to try, fearing what he might learn. He understood perfectly that Nora was concerned for his safety but he rankled at her suggestion that he did not know what he was doing. It was typical of her recent patronizing attitude towards him and it was not the first time one of her comments had set his teeth on edge. 

It was true that he didn't know what his plan would be, as yet. But he would figure it out. His well-developed sense of self-preservation would ensure that his own safety would be assured. As to the safety of others, he could not be so sure. He had to assume that anyone else willing to go along with his scheme would be sensible enough to take pains to ensure their own well being. In other words, it would be their own lookout if they decided to come on board. But since every wizard he knew was dedicated to the defeat of his former leader, Tom Marvolo Riddle, he assumed he would have no difficulty finding willing conspirators.

As for Nora, it seemed that she was turning away from him. Had she not enough faith in him to back him in his endeavours? Nonetheless, if winning back her confidence in him meant succeeding in his plan at all costs, then that was what he must do. 

At all costs. Did that include putting himself into danger? Just at the moment, he wasn't entirely sure.

* * *

NEXT: Trouble in Paradise

* * *

A/N

* "Textillium Leviosa" : I always assumed the "Wingardium Leviosa" charm worked only on feathers ("wing"... get it?) so I made up a spell just for objects made of fabric. But then, the boys DID use "Wingardium" to leviate the troll's club in the washroom. 

Thanks for the juicy reviews! It does give one a boost to know one is not writing into a vacuum. As a result I have made a lot of progress this week and after being a bit plot-stuck for a while have gotten things "rolling" again. 

**Crisagi:** You have given me a wonderful idea. I had planned to get Sirius Black involved somehow but was not sure what might be the best way -- though it might not be what you expect!

Also (ahem) my beta reader has disappeared again so this chapter (and the last one) were un-beta'd. I need a new reader A.S.A.P.!! If there are any volunteers, please respond via the review page with your email address. I need someone very literate with a bit of time on their hands who can double-check grammar, spelling, HP plot points and characterization (you know the drill!) and who is not afraid to give constructive criticism. My last beta reader was all that and more (many, many thanks, besnaped!) but it seems her life has become very full and has taken her in another direction for the time being. 

By the way, I am ALWAYS open to constructive criticism from reviewers. If there are ways in which my writing can be improved, (and I'm sure there are!) I would love to hear from you.

- Grey Lady


	6. Trouble in Paradise

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 6: Trouble in Paradise

Severus wouldn't apologize. 

He did try to make amends to Nora by fixing her some supper, fettuccine Alfredo, which he knew she loved. He brought it to her on a tray with a glass of wine, but Nora still would not speak to him and refused to open the bedroom door. Unaccustomed to dealing with romantic disharmony, he stood uncertainly outside the door, his feelings wavering between anxiety at being out of her good graces and anger at her stubbornness. But he would not reduce himself to begging for entry. 

Unable himself to eat the meal he had prepared, he spent the evening downstairs alone listening to quiet music on the stereo. Magenta seemed aware of his distress, and leapt up to the couch, making herself at home on his lap. At first he was annoyed, then found the cat's heavy warmth and incessant purring oddly soothing as he sat stroking her soft fur in the darkness. At one point he heard water running upstairs; he presumed Nora was having a bath and getting ready for bed.

Calmed considerably, he found the nerve to attempt the bedroom once more. This time the door was unlocked, but the room was in darkness. Below the hum of the air conditioner, sounds of soft even breathing suggested that she was asleep. He undressed and slipped under the covers next to her, caressing her shoulder lightly.

Nora stirred and murmured his name softly in her sleep. Spooning her from behind, he embraced her, cupping her small breast and placing his other hand between her thighs. She did not resist. Gradually his caresses became more insistent and he could feel her rousing to his advances. Surely she must be awake, but did not seem to object when he made love to her. Did this mean he had been forgiven? 

* * *

By all appearances, the next morning the argument seemed to have been forgotten. But Snape could still detect a slight chill in the air. He decided it would be best if he did not speak of the matter again and hopefully Nora would not bring it up. An uneasy truce reigned for the rest of the day. 

In the meantime, he needed to do some thinking and to solidify his plans. The first matter was to figure out what he could use as an incentive to make Voldemort want to pass over to the Mundane dimension and see it for himself.

One unknown factor was this: what if Voldemort already knew of the existence of this dimension by some means and was aware that it would sap his powers? In all probability only a handful of highly trusted wizards knew about it. He himself had not been told, presumably because that in working alongside the Dark Lord, even as a spy for Dumbledore, he might have been considered a security risk. 

And speaking of security risks, there was the enormous problem of Algernon Welkin. Although the man seemed to have acted with the best of intentions, the old fool could not keep from revealing the existence of the Magical dimension to an author of children's books! How much of a security risk might he pose on other confidential matters within the Ministry of Magic? 

At the very least, Snape determined that Welkin should not be allowed to know anything of his plans involving the Mundane dimension. At best, it would seem to be very prudent to ensure his removal from the Ministry and retirement someplace far, far away. 

The other possible security breach was Ignatius Weatherby, another ministry operative who knew about the Mundane dimension, and who had mysteriously disappeared about the time that Nora and Remus Lupin had been scheduled to meet with him in London. What had become of him? No answer had been forthcoming, only that his disappearance had nothing to do with the fact that one of Voldemort's followers had known of the plan to get Snape safely out of Britain to North America. 

He needed information, and he needed it quickly. But he didn't want to apprise Dumbledore of his plans; not yet. He needed to lay some groundwork and raise some support before he troubled the old man with his scheme. It was not that he didn't trust him, but the elderly wizard was notoriously unwilling to take risks in his dealings with Voldemort. Which, Snape reflected with a grimace, might be the precise reason the Dark Lord had not yet been defeated. 

Unfortunately the only person he could contact from the Magical world who might conceivably aid him in his conspiracy was an old rival. Would Remus Lupin agree to help him without telling Dumbledore? It would be necessary to feel him out before he revealed his plan. But until Lupin contacted them, it would be impossible to connect with him. Perhaps Nora could pass word through Welkin that he wished to contact Lupin, but that in itself was risky considering Welkin's track record. And would Nora even be willing to assist, now that she knew what he was up to and disapproved?

It seemed there was nothing to do about the matter but wait for Lupin to contact them. However, this did give him time to solidify his blueprint for Riddle's defeat.

* * *

Nora had not seen Angie for a few days and was feeling the need to confide in a friend. After the upsets of the last couple of days, she wanted both a willing ear and a break from her routine. After their last disastrous meeting, it would be impossible to invite her over with Severus around. But Angie might be willing to meet her for a coffee somewhere.

Nora picked up the phone and dialled. After four rings she almost hung up. At ten o'clock in the morning, her friend might not even be up yet. 

Angie's sleepy voice finally answered the phone. "Whoever you are, you woke me up, so this better be fuckin' good," she growled.

"Ange, it's me."

"Well, hello, _strange_r. What's up?" she asked, with an edge of sarcasm in her voice.

"Um not much, I just thought it would be nice to get together for a coffee or something. Got anything planned today?"

"No, not really. I'm working on a painting, but you know I do my best work at night anyway, so I'm clear 'till say, midnight."

"OK, where do you want to meet? Balzac's, Bentley's, or that new place across the road?"

"Why don't you come over? I got a bag of Balzac's Special Roast right here."

"Sounds all right. It'd be nice to get out, though."

"For you, my place _is_ out. For me, it's cheap. Gotta conserve my cash flow right now."

"Well, I'd be buying. But your place is fine too. When do you want me?"

"Give me an hour to wake up and tidy up and c'mon over."

"See you in a bit."

Nora told Severus she was going out for a while and did a few errands during the hour prior to her date with her young friend. Angie's studio, where she was living illegally, was in a warehouse way out on the east end of town. She hoped that Angie had remembered to unlock the entrance downstairs. 

In fact, Angie herself was waiting in the loading area as Nora pulled her Volvo into the parking lot. They took an old wooden freight elevator up to the third floor studio. The place was huge two large well-lit rooms with floor to ceiling windows that flanked the space, a central space divided into a kitchen and seating area in one room and another room that Angie used as a gallery for her current and favourite work, and in the back, hidden behind the second of the large windowed rooms -- her actual workspace, was a small sleeping area that could easily be disguised as a store-room if fire inspectors should happen to drop in.

Nora knew she would never be able to live this way, but all the same she envied Angie her freedom and her ability to make do on virtually nothing. Coming from a well-to-do family had meant that Nora had relied on money for most of her life. Still, she had to admit she liked her comforts. 

Angie had a pot brewing already and handed her a large mug. As she sank into an oversized and shabby old armchair, Nora surreptitiously checked to see if there was any fresh paint on the mug or anywhere else; she didn't want to get any on her clothes. 

"Don't worry, I just washed that mug," Angie kidded her. She had seen this performance before. "So What's the trouble?"

"Trouble? Who said anything about trouble?" Nora asked innocently as she sipped.

"Well, let's see, you've been home with the New Guy for just a little over two weeks, I don't hear anything from you and all of a sudden you want to get together. Plus you sound all wistful, like. Honeymoon over, already?" 

Nora sighed. "Well, not exactly, but we did have a bit of a fight the other day if you must know."

"About?"

_Well, now, how do I go about explaining this exactly? _Nora thought._ My boyfriend wants to go back to Hogwarts to defeat Lord Voldemort. Riiiight. _"He's suddenly decided he needs to go back to the U.K. to take care of some unfinished business," she said aloud. That was close enough to the truth.

"I thought that's what he was doing in Scotland when you met him: taking care of family business."

"Yes, well, evidently there's still more to be taken care of. Something sort of came up after we got here and he's got a bee in his bonnet about it. Now he's champing at the bit to go home."

"And would this unfinished business have anything to do with an ex-wife or old girlfriend?"

"No, no, nothing like that. But it's... well, I can't really go into it, but there's sort of an element of danger to this."

"Really? What kind of danger? And old enemy, out to get him? How exciting!"

"You really are incorrigible, Ange. Life is _not_ a movie you know."

"Um have you taken a look at your boyfriend lately? Oh! Speaking of which, I heard the most amazing rumour about him the other day!"

"Which was?"

"That he's a friend of J.K. Rowling and his name really _is_ Severus Snape! Is that true?"

"I guess the cat's out of the bag then. Yes, he knew her in Edinburgh. She liked his name so much she asked him if she could borrow it for her books."

"Cool! So is he, like really, the model for the guy in the movie?"

"You mean, the guy in the books."

"Whatever. I only saw the movie, OK?"

"Yes, I guess you could say that he was the model for the character, in a way. He was a professor of chemistry at St. Howard's, Academy, where I was working." 

"St. Howard's. Is that what you said the school was called?"

"Surely you didn't think I said 'Hogwarts', did you?" In fact she had, she just hoped Angie hadn't remembered that.

Angie laughed. "Oh, this is so cool! I know a guy in the Harry Potter books. But, Witchie-Poo! You were holding out on me!"

"Sorry, but I thought he wanted to keep it quiet. I had no idea he was going to go around telling people himself."

"So, I guess they picked Rickman for the movie because he looks so much like your friend, eh? That is, if Rowling had anything to do with the casting, that must have been the reason!"

"I suppose I hadn't really given it much thought. But it's true; he does really look like Severus, with that black wig and all." She secretly wondered if either Ginny Weasley or Welkin had helped with the casting, since there was no way Severus could have met J. K. Rowling for real.

"Oh, I just thought of something! If he's a wizard, then you really must be a witch! I knew it!" she chuckled.

"Ha-hah." Nora knew that to Angie, this was only a joke. "Witchie-Poo" had been Angie's private nickname for Nora ever since she had been a patient and Nora had miraculously cleared up a rash caused by using a toxic paint solvent. All the same, it made Nora cringe inwardly to hear this. If she only knew

"OK, So back to the angst: Snapey wants to go back to the U.K. and you don't want him to go. What's the problem? He didn't ask you to go with him?"

_Snapey?_ thought Nora._ Remind me never to allow those two in the same room again!_ "Actually, no he hasn't, so far. I think he wants to handle this himself." 

"If he thinks there might be danger, maybe he's just trying to keep you out of it. Listen to me, defending the guy! _Sheesh_."

Nora felt the need to soft-pedal this. "It's not that kind of danger, it's more like unpleasantness... a law-suit kind of thing."

"Oh. So you're just angry that he's going back so soon after he got here?"

"Yes. And try not to sound so disappointed that he's not in mortal danger." Nora tried to keep her tone light, but a slight feeling of panic rose in her stomach as she considered exactly whom Severus was planning to face. 

Angie eyed her narrowly. "Do you think he's trying to call it quits and is just trying to find a way to weasel on outta here? You know, go home, then call you and say, 'Oh, by the way, Babe, I'm not coming back'," she said, mimicking Snape's deep voice and cultured British accent.

"It hadn't occurred to me, but thanks so much for mentioning it," Nora frowned. Now, there was an uncomfortable possibility. 

Angie grinned sardonically. "Always happy to cheer you up, Hon."

Nora sighed. This conversation wasn't helping in the least. She needed to confide in someone who would really understand either Poppy, or her mother. But somehow, running to Mother with this wasn't what she wanted to do, either. No, she was going to have to get in touch with Poppy. She was the only one who would do.

"So, would you like to see my latest masterpiece?" Angie invited.

"I'd love to," Nora replied. Anything to change the subject.

* * *

NEXT: Letter from Hogwarts

* * *

A/N

A bit of personal trivia: Angie's studio is very similar to my own. Sadly, I do not get to spend much time there any more. Such spaces can be had cheaply if you know where to look, so it's not unrealistic that Angie can afford such an extravagant amount of square footage. I never actuallly lived in mine but I have known people who've lived in warehouses illegally.

Since I can't find the time to paint any more, I couldn't resist putting an artist character in my story, even if she's not a major one.

Thank you for the reviews. It's not so much that I need my ego stroked, but I do find the feedback encourages me to find trime to write. Lately it's been going well and I've had a few new ideas. But those chapters won't be posted for a while...

Cheers!

- Grey Lady


	7. Letter from Hogwarts

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 7: Letter from Hogwarts

Severus seemed unusually pleased when Nora got home. "Something arrived for you while you were out," he said, holding an object behind his back.

"What is it?" she asked, mystified at his secret smile. 

"A letter from Hogwarts," he replied, holding out a parchment envelope with a red wax seal. "And, I believe it's from Madame Pomfrey."

"Oh! That's wonderful! I was just thinking about her today, in fact." Nora said as he ceremoniously handed her the envelope. "So why are you so happy about it?" she asked with a wry smile.

"Because, I knew it would make you happy to hear from her," he said with satisfaction. One would have thought he was taking credit for it, from the way he was acting, Nora observed. "And you've smiled so seldom, lately, that I wanted to be sure to see your face when you got it."

"Oh, that's so sweet," she said, and kissed him on the lips. The kiss lingered, and turned more passionate. Nora felt her earlier unease fading a little.

"Mmmm… I'd forgotten how good that felt. It's been too long," she murmured. "I'm sorry we've been so at odds lately…" 

"So am I. I'm afraid I've given you a lot to deal with in the last while," he said. "Go read your letter. I'd be interested to hear any news, if she has any."

"Gossip, you mean?" she laughed. "All right, just let me read it over first and if there are any good bits I'll read them to you."

"I'll make some lunch for the two of us. How does a nice avocado salad sound?"

"Oh! Sounds great, thanks!"

As Snape headed for the kitchen, Nora settled into her favourite armchair and opened the letter. Fancy anyone sending a letter with a wax seal these days. It had all the correct postage on it for airmail, however. Poppy must have had it sent through Algernon Welkin in Mundane London. 

    _Dear Nora:_
      
_I hope this letter isn't too long in getting to you!_ [It was dated August 5th; surprisingly it had only taken a little over a week to arrive.]_ I hope everything is going well for you and that Severus has settled in nicely. You must send me all your news; you know how I don't like to be kept wondering!_
    _I suppose it is too soon for you to have started up your practice again but I hope you are keeping your hand in. How did your garden fare while you were away? _
    _  
My health is perfect, as always. I am keeping busy preparing for the onslaught of students and another school year. Last year I found out that Madame Hooch and Professor Sprout had a secret pool going to see which of them would end up sending the most students to the Infirmary. I certainly hope that doesn't turn into an annual competition!_
    _I am happy to report that there has been very little activity on the home front. Things settled down considerably after your inauspicious departure. It seems that the Death Eaters have been lying low since you all gave them that little trouncing out on the school grounds. Headmaster Dumbledore was certainly amazed at the way you handled yourself. I declare none of us were aware that you were able to muster that sort of power. I almost wish I had been there to see it for myself, though I appreciate it must have upset you very much to be forced to use your healing powers to harm another, no matter how much they might have deserved it. _

[That was an understatement, Nora reflected. She had been distraught over the fact that she had been forced to kill two men by using her telekinetic powers during a battle in which a group of Death Eaters had tried to prevent Snape and herself from leaving Hogwarts. Nora continued reading:]

    _I do have news of one of your friends. Remus Lupin has taken up residence in Mundane London, mostly I think to replace Ignatius Weatherby as an agent there. (I'll leave it to Remus to explain that situation to you.) As you might guess, he is quite happy to be outside of the Magical dimension during the full moon! Yes, it is true that his werewolf transformations do not take effect there. I know he had been spending more and more time in the Mundane world prior to your departure, and I think I know the reason… it seems he has a lady friend! I don't know how long he has known her, and I have to assume she knows nothing about his background, but when he visited here briefly last week he seemed very contented._
  
__[Good for him, Nora thought with a smile. Remus was a very sweet and rather attractive man.]

    _I expect Remus will be in touch with you both very soon, either by telephone or letter, if he hasn't contacted you already. He probably still has a bit of settling in to do. Also, there has not been much to report lately, as I have mentioned._
    _  
I do miss having you here. I hope that you and Severus will be able to come back some day, when all this nasty business is finished. _
    _All my best to you, and kind regards to Severus,_
    _  
- Poppy_

* * *

Over lunch, Nora told Severus Poppy's news about Remus. Snape's response was a disdainful sniff. "I don't understand how he can bear to live in this dimension willingly, when there are so many more advantages to being in the Magical dimension."

"It sounds like there are some distinct advantages for him to living here, if he can prevent his transformations from taking place. That must be a great relief to him." 

"Perhaps, but the full moon only lasts two nights out of the entire month. Why not just cross over only when absolutely necessary?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'd be going back and forth a lot. But if he has to be posted in London, it might be safer for him being on the Mundane side. He'd be less likely to encounter our enemies there, I should think. Plus, if what Poppy says is true, it sounds like he has a pretty good reason to hang around!"

"Hmmm. I just hope he is more discrete than Welkin."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure Remus would be very careful about what he told his new friend." Nora frowned slightly. "But tell me, does your earlier comment mean that you hate living here?"

"I think you realize that I'd rather be home, but if I had to live anywhere in the Mundane dimension, I suppose I'd sooner be here than in London or, say, that awful place where your mother lives."

"Oh, well, yes, Stratford is certainly a lot prettier than North York, but there are other parts of Toronto that are quite lovely." 

"Indeed. Well, I suppose you will be wanting to write back to Madame Pomfrey right away, but I had wondered if we might do something together this afternoon." 

"That sounds nice. What did you have in mind?" My, Severus certainly seemed eager to please today, she mused.

"We could take a drive, if you're willing to do the driving, or take a walk by the river, if you'd rather."

"There's a beautiful nature area along the river, and it's not far from here. We can even walk to it," she suggested. "Actually, I have been wanting to take you there."

Once lunch was cleared, the couple set out for the riverside natural area and had an enjoyable and companionable walk along the trail. For Nora, spending the afternoon together renewed some feelings of trust that had been missing from their relationship for the past few days. Severus was very attentive and more affectionate than usual. Perhaps some of her fears had been misplaced.

Upon returning to the house, he suggested that they might go out for dinner that evening, then produced another surprise: a pair of tickets for that evening's performance of _Richard III_ at the Shakespearean Festival's Avon Theatre. Nora was thrilled. She had heard great things about this production and had been unable to see anything from this year's Festival season, so far. 

It was a great treat to get dressed up for such an occasion and she found Severus' choice of outfit very attractive. It looked as though he had gone out and selected some new clothes, possibly this morning. He was wearing a black lightweight suit of a very stylish cut, with a deep red shirt and dark patterned tie. With his hair tied neatly back, he looked better than he had in days. 

Although she knew she was probably overdressing for a Tuesday night performance, Nora resurrected a short black silk sheath she had not worn in over a year. It suited her slender figure beautifully and with high heels, her hair swept up and the unaccustomed addition of a bit of makeup, she felt almost glamorous. Severus pronounced her a "knockout"; a word she had not known was in his lexicon. 

She felt she must have been grinning like a fool as they left the house in a cloud of cologne. Her reply to Poppy forgotten, she abandoned herself to having a simply wonderful evening with her very attractive partner.

* * *

NEXT: London Calling

* * *

A/N

Thanks, **shadowycat**, for the review, and the title of the next chapter is a big hint that we will be hearing from Remus very soon!

- Grey Lady


	8. London Calling

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 8: London Calling

Snape woke early the following morning. Nora was still asleep by his side. He raised himself up on one elbow and watched her sleep.

Gods, but she was beautiful. He realized in wonderment that he had never felt this way about a woman before. This relationship with Eleanora had been the most complete love he had ever known in his lifetime, and it put him in awe that in spite of their difficulties, she seemed to love him so much in return. That was why it pained him so to be practicing a deception upon her.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but after she had received the letter from Poppy he realized that if Nora wrote back to her friend and mentor at Hogwarts, she was certain to mention what had been troubling her, which was specifically his plans to return to London against Dumbledore's — and her — wishes. 

He was aware that she had probably already, to a point, confided in her friend Angie, but this didn't trouble him. While he knew it was very unlikely that she would have told Angie the entire story of Hogwarts and Voldemort, she would have mentioned the substance of it at least, in order to have a sympathetic ear, and would have made up a cover story for the rest of the details. He credited Nora with that much sense at least. 

But he could not be sure that Nora wouldn't let something more factual slip to Poppy. He had to make sure that if she did write a letter to Hogwarts, he intercepted it first. 

In the meantime, his plan had been to keep her as busy and contented as possible, in order to forestall the inevitability of her reply... and also to keep her from reading the fourth book in the Harry Potter series, and making the connection between something that was mentioned in that story and something he had not been totally honest with her about.

Yesterday's outings had been in the interest of keeping her occupied. During her absence Severus had spent the morning planning the evening's diversion. As soon as Poppy's letter had arrived, he made a dinner reservation at a small, elegant restaurant called Bijoux, a tiny place virtually hidden in a back alley but which had received rave reviews and was had been termed "the culinary gem of the season." Coming up with theatre tickets at such short notice had been another stroke of genius, as he had been able to "influence" the house manager at the Avon Theatre to give up a pair of private box seats normally reserved for VIP's. He had even purchased a new suit for the occasion. 

Mind you, it had given him great satisfaction to plan the evening for her. Ever since their arrival, it had seemed that she was always the one taking the lead in anything they did, planning his days and his entertainments for him and always being the one "in the know" about local happenings. To take the initiative for once had given him an unaccountable amount of pleasure, and it was plain that his effort had pleased Nora as well. And if Nora remained pleased with him, she just might forget about making any revelations to Poppy that could eventually reach the wrong ears.

During dinner the evening before, he had even made the suggestion that she should start up her medical practice again. That would certainly keep her days occupied. But she had instantly brushed off the idea, saying that knowing he would want to return to Hogwarts permanently if he managed to bring about Voldemort's defeat, she did not want to put herself in the position of starting up her practice, only to shut it down again.

At least she was finally beginning to accept that his plans might actually go forward and succeed, and he inferred from this that she would be willing to return to the Magical dimension with him. 

Nora smiled sleepily as she awoke and saw him looking fondly down upon her. "Mmmm. Good morning, darling," she murmured.

He leaned down to kiss her. "How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thanks. And thank you for last night... that was amazing!"

"Which part of it?" he chuckled wickedly.

"Oh, the dinner, the play, all of it… but especially the part after we got home," she replied, smiling mischievously. Indeed, last night's love-making had started out playfully but had ended up as being particularly intense.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, dearest. I was just wondering if you would like breakfast in bed?" 

"As wonderful as that sounds, I'd miss you too much while you went downstairs to make it," she said, stretching seductively.

"Well, we can either stay right here and go hungry, or we can both go down to the kitchen and see what we can throw together."

They lingered in bed for a while, but once other needs were satisfied, hunger eventually won out. Nora got up and freshened herself in the bathroom. Throwing on their robes, they went down to the kitchen. Nora made a mental note, as she noticed Poppy's letter on the coffee table in the living room, to get around to answering it in the next day or so. 

What she did not see was Severus slipping the parchment missive into the pocket of his robe after she had passed it. No sense in leaving such a blatant reminder of her obligations lying about.

* * *

They were partway through eating breakfast when the telephone rang. Nora went into the back sitting room to answer it.

"Severus! It's Remus Lupin on the phone!" she called out excitedly. "Pick up the extension in the living room." 

At last, Lupin had contacted them. Snape needed to talk to him alone. How to get Nora off the phone, and out of earshot? But as she would naturally want to hear every word, there was nothing for it but to find a way to contact Lupin privately later on.

"Lupin, how are you? It's good to hear from you," Snape said warmly.

"Is it really, Old Man? I think that's the first time you have ever greeted me so enthusiastically," Lupin replied dryly. 

"Ah well, it's been a while since we have heard anything from home. Naturally I'm anxious to hear if there is any news," he said stiffly, as he recovered himself from his uncharacteristic enthusiasm. And was that Remus who snorted with laughter just then, or was it Nora, he wondered? 

"I heard from Madame Pomfrey yesterday," Nora put in. "She says you've taken a place in Mundane London."

"Yes, a small flat. Just a _pied à terre_, really, but as I'm back and forth between both Londons so often these days, it seemed to make sense to set up a permanent address here. I'm happy to report that it looks as though there are no Death Eater activities on the Mundane side, so it can also serve as a sort of safe house for any of our agents who need to quickly disappear from Muggle London."

"Just as long as you are careful not to be followed," Snape cautioned. "We don't want the Death Eaters finding any portals by accident."

"No of course not. And we have taken the precaution of hanging magical tags on all the portals in order to detect anyone who might happen to come through."

"And just how is it that those work, Remus?" Nora asked. "I thought that magic didn't work so well here."

"Yes, I had wondered that myself," Snape asked. "I could understand the tags by themselves, but how are you managing to detect them? Welkin told us about it but he never really explained the whole thing."

"Well, it's quite remarkable really. It seems that the tags give off a certain kind of electro-magnetic signature. What we are using to detect them isn't a magical device at all, it's a piece of Mundane technology that picks up the signal and displays it on a computerized map!"

"Really! That sounds just like a tracking device." Nora exclaimed.

"Erm, yes, I suppose, but using a magical tag gives us an added dimension. Unlike a physical tracking device, they are invisible, virtually undetectable by human senses, and the ones we are using are only triggered by the activation of a portal's aura. So if a Muggle just happened to pass through a structure that served as a portal, it wouldn't attach itself to them. They are very selective little buggers," Remus chuckled.

"Who made the map?" Snape asked. No wizards he knew had the knowledge of Mundane technology necessary to construct such an device. 

"Ah. The J.M. Walsh people on Goodge Street apparently have a department that specializes in spy gadgets of this sort. I just attached a tag to a real-looking bit of hardware and said 'Here's the signal it puts out, now give us a way to track it.' They came up with the rest... and the whole thing fits into a pocket."

"Brilliant," Nora and Severus said at once.

"But what news is there of Voldemort and his activities?" Snape asked.

"Not much to report at the moment," Remus replied. "They have been lying very low since the episode at Hogwarts. Though I shouldn't think they are inactive, by any means. I had heard rumours they had sent some agents to North America to see if they could find you and Nora, but of course they have gone to the wrong North America. Won't be much for them to find there."

"Hmmm. Let's just hope they don't stumble onto any portals."

"Remus, I recall Welkin mentioning that there was a Death Eater cell starting up in New York." Nora asked anxiously. 

"Yes, we had heard rumours of that but it is as yet unconfirmed. Our operative who went there to find out has disappeared. Though," he added darkly, "his very disappearance would seem to confirm that it is so." 

"What operative was that?" Snape asked.

"Ah, well that is very interesting," Remus replied. "Do you remember the unsolved disappearance of Ignatius Weatherby?"

"Yes!" Nora exclaimed. "Don't tell me he was the one who went to New York. Why didn't Dumbledore know about it?"

"It appears he did it more or less on his own initiative. The only other person who had any idea about it was Percy Weasley, another one of Dumbledore's clandestine operatives in the Ministry."

Snape was beginning to respect this Weatherby character: another man who acted on his own initiative. 

"But why didn't Weasley report it right away?" Nora asked. She recalled that Dumbledore sent inquiries around London via Hermione Granger, after he disappeared. They were trying to determine if either he or Welkin had been acting as spies for Voldemort.

"It seemed that Weasley knew that Weatherby had been trying to get accepted into the Death Eaters as a spy, and that he was planning to fly to New York to check out the rumour of a cell there, but even though Percy was not directly involved in the planning, he agreed to keep the information from Dumbledore because he knew Albus would never have approved of the scheme - it was incredibly foolhardy."

"Aha! I always thought Dumbledore was too cautious. This just confirms that others think so too."

"That's as may be, Snape," Remus replied, "but do try to have a little more respect for the man. Weatherby seems to have met a bad end, has he not? Albus may be cautious, but for good reason. And he has gotten results."

"Really? Not that I can tell. Voldemort is still at large, Peter Pettigrew has yet to be found, and Sirius Black is still in hiding," Nora retorted. Snape was surprised at her vehemence: he might be able to make an ally of her yet. 

"But Dumbledore knows about Weatherby now, does he?" Snape asked.

"Yes, Percy eventually came clean. But I'm afraid he's been suspended from his job at the Ministry, at least temporarily. Albus is very upset with him, and rightly so, in my opinion."

Hmmm. Making a conspirator out of Remus Lupin would be more difficult than he thought. But speaking of Weasleys being in hot water, his thoughts turned to Percy's little sister, and the Harry Potter books debacle… "So, how is old Welkin these days?" he asked smoothly.

_Severus…_ Nora shot a warning thought at him.

"Algernon? He's fine, but I'd heard he's asked to take a brief leave from the Ministry. And at his own request, he's ceasing his activities as an operative in London. He is getting on in years, and I believe is thinking about retirement."

_Retirement with all that money he's made off the Harry Potter books,_ Snape silently conjectured.

"And do we have any idea how the Death Eaters found out about our plans to come to Canada?" Nora asked.

"Nothing concrete yet, Nora. We've been interviewing Ministry employees and operatives pretty thoroughly, trying to discover if there is a mole, but so far we have turned up nothing. At this point we have decided that the Death Eaters must have had one of their own spies following Welkin on the day we met with him, and we do have a couple of half-baked theories as to who it might have been, but at least we are now fairly positive that the leak didn't come from Welkin or anyone else in the Ministry."

So… Snape now knew where Weatherby had disappeared to, but not why; that Welkin had left the Ministry, at least temporarily, and no longer posed a security threat; that is was unlikely (but not impossible!) that there were spies within the Ministry; and that Percy Weasley was suspended. His worries of a security breach were virtually resolved, and it looked as though he might be able to make a conspirator out of Percy, if he could get in touch with him somehow. 

"Lupin, we must have a way of getting in touch again. Can you leave us your address and so forth?" Snape asked.

"Of course, but I'll do you one better than that... here is my telephone number and e-mail address…" He supplied these while Nora wrote them down. 

"I'll have to get Nora to show me how to deal with the e-mail," Snape said. "I'm sure I'll think of more questions later." 

"Yes, no doubt. Don't worry, I'll certainly keep you informed, Severus," Lupin assured him as he rang off. 

* * *

NEXT: E-Mail and Snail-Mail

A/N - Hope this chapter answers a few questions! No, avocado salad is not very Snape-like. But now you know what he was up to! 

- Grey Lady


	9. Email and Snail Mail

Chapter 9: E-Mail and Snail-Mail 

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 9: E-Mail and Snail-Mail

Remus Lupin reflected on the conversation he had just had with Severus Snape. Why had Snape been so interested in the welfare of Algernon Welkin? As far as he knew, he had never met the man. It was true that Welkin had at one point been suspected of being a mole in the Ministry, or at least Snape may have thought so, but Remus thought he had made it pretty clear that Welkin had been cleared of suspicion. He wondered if Snape knew something he didn't know?

Also, Snape had seemed unusually happy to hear from him and eager to stay in touch. He could just put that down to Snape being starved for news of matters at home, but something didn't sit right with him. With a suspicious dread that was almost Slytherin in nature, Remus had to wonder if Snape were Up To Something.

No matter, he thought. Snape now had the means to contact him any time he wished. He presumed that if his old schoolyard adversary truly had an ulterior motive, he would learn more about it soon enough. 

For the moment, Remus had other matters on his mind. It was nearly 3:30 in the afternoon and Vera would be coming over for cocktails at 5:00 prior to an evening out. Ever since he had met the female master forger at J. M. Walsh's on Goodge Street, mutual attraction had blossomed. In fact, on the one day he had shown up at the forgers' offices in disguise, she had seemed disappointed and had asked after that smashing bloke who was here before.

He had no idea how far this would go, but so far, it was the perfect relationship. Because of the way they had met, she already knew there was something shadowy in his background and never asked difficult questions. She intuitively knew that he wasn't using his real name — he was going by the moniker Remmy Wolfe in this dimension — but she didn't seem to mind. Even if he did one day choose to confide in her, he knew that the requirements of her job more than proved her ability to be discrete. And since dating was against company rules, she required his discretion, as well. 

Plus, he liked her immensely. She was voluptuous, brilliant, talented, and had a ready wit – all in all, terrific company. It had been so long since he had had a woman in his life that it was a revelation just to be with someone so warm and lively. The time he had spent with Nora Sterling had made him long for some female companionship of his own and he had resisted a great temptation not to horn in on Snape's territory.

He could also enjoy the freedom of knowing his werewolf transformations would not take place here, so he would never put Vera in danger. That fact alone would almost be worth moving here permanently for, although he missed being able to use his magic. Luckily, as moving between the dimensions was so easy, he didn't have to make that choice. 

* * *

Almost from the moment they hung up the phone, and much to Nora's annoyance, Severus developed an urgent need to become computer literate and requested her instruction. 

Right now, this minute? she snapped in exasperation. We just talked to Remus. Surely you don't need to get in touch with him again today.

I just think it's high time I learned, and what else did we have planned for today? he replied testily.

Well, nothing much, I suppose But after I've enjoyed my coffee and had a shower, I was going to do a bit of work in the garden before it gets too hot. Can it wait until this afternoon at least? 

Oh, very well, he pouted. Whenever you're ready, Madam.

* * *

Later that day, with much apprehension (for she had tried this with her own mother once upon a time with disastrous results) Nora showed him how to use the computer. Knowing he had never so much as touched one before and also knowing he had never tried to type anything on a keyboard, she gave him the beginner's tour and hoped she didn't sound too patronizing.

OK. This is the keyboard, and this is called a mouse. These are the two things you use to give instructions to the computer and to – um – put in information. She showed him how the mouse moved the pointer around the screen, and how clicking' on things made menu items appear and activate. Then she let him try it. It was very clumsy for him, and at first he had a hard time grasping the concepts of pointing, dragging, clicking and right clicking.

Ok, well some of the things you can do with the mouse you can also do with some of the buttons on the keyboard. And the keyboard is what you will use to type in messages and so forth.  

I just want to know how to send an e-mail, he said impatiently.

Hold on, Whiz Kid, you have to learn to walk before you can fly. And since you've never had your hands on one of these puppies before, I need to show you the basics of telling it what you want it to do. Then if you're planning to write letters, there's the whole thing about typing, selecting text, cutting and pasting

There was a loud expulsion of breath and flared nostrils.

Right. Play with the mouse for a while until you get the hang of it and DON'T TOUCH THE KEYBOARD. Especially that key right there, she said, pointing to the delete' key. 

Would you kindly show me how to send an e-mail and let me figure the rest out for myself? he replied in a quietly intimidating tone.

Fine, have it your way, she said, determined to baffle him with the speed of her demonstration. Watch closely now First you have to get on-line. Then you open this program here. Then you go Message – New Message and you type in the e-mail address here and your subject here and your message in this window here, and when you're done, you press this button that says queue' and then you press that button there to send any queued mail. Got that? 

he replied defensively.

Nora shut down the mail reader, logged off and closed the program for connecting to the Internet. OK, Smart Guy, now you try it, she smirked, stepping back with her arms folded across her chest.

Snape was back online and had his cursor positioned and ready to type in a message within 30 seconds, leaving Nora gasping. 

Now I presume that all I need to do to type a message is press these keys in the right order? he deadpanned.

yes. And you might find the backspace key handy if you make a mistake or want to change anything you've written. Try not to touch the insert' key you'll find out why, eventually The shift' key will give you capital letters and this one locks on the caps but don't type things in all capital letters because that's like shouting and it's considered rude.

Is it, indeed?

We can get into the finer points of selecting text with the mouse later, if you'd rather just get on with whatever it is you so desperately need to do.

Thank you.

Oh... and one more thing... do not touch the Recycle Bin.

I wouldn't dream of it. _Whatever that is._

Nora rolled her eyes and sighed as she started to leave the room. Oh well, he probably couldn't get into too much trouble just typing an e-mail. She had to give him credit: he'd already completely surprised her with how quickly he'd picked up getting on line and opening the mail program.

Where are you going? he whined.

I just thought as long as you're busy playing, I'd sit down and answer Poppy's letter. Normally, she'd have done this on the computer, but a typed response to Poppy's hand-written missive seemed terribly inappropriate. By the way, have you seen it?

I thought I saw in the living room, he hedged. But must you do that now? What if I need your help?

I'll only be in the next room, dear, and it's not as if you've needed any help up to now, she snorted. Hmm... I was sure I left it on the coffee table. I wonder where it's gotten to? Oh well, never mind, I don't really need to read it to answer it.

_Blast, Snape thought. Well, I'll just have to make sure to offer to mail it for her when she's finished._

Nora rummaged in a drawer in the sideboard in the dining room for some stationery, and sat at the kitchen table to write. It had been so long since she had written anything lengthy by hand she found her hand cramping up as she did so. On the computer, she was able to let her thoughts flow more freely because she knew she could always edit later. 

    _Dear Poppy:_
    _  
How lovely to hear from you! I would have written back right away but little things just seemed to keep popping up. Right now Severus is trying to learn to use my computer I think he's trying to send an e-mail to Remus, even though we just talked to him this morning. _
    _  
I__ must say Remus sounded awfully good, but of course he didn't mention anything about his lady-friend. How lovely for him, if that's true. (Perhaps that's what Severus is writing him to ask him about, ha-ha.) Remus, of course, filled us in on a few other things and I must say that's very distressing news about poor Weatherby. I hope they find out what happened to him. Of course I have no idea if you know anything about the matter, so in that case I shall just say I shouldn'ta told yeh that_
    _  
I am doing well, but Severus seems terribly anxious to be back in the thick of things. Mind you, I hate to see him idle, but he's got a definite bee in his bonnet about some plan he's dreaming up and wants to get back to London as soon as he can. I'm sure he's asking Remus to help him with something or other, but I can't imagine what it's been about. _
    _T__his is just between you and me, of course, but I wish he'd just let things go and let Dumbledore and the rest of his operatives handle things for a while. Even though it's good to see him busy and I actually think he might be on to something with this idea of his, I am trying to convince him to just stay here and let someone else carry it out. _
    _  
I realise I'm being very cryptic and can't give you any details, but I needed to confide in you that I am very concerned about his safety and I don't want to see him leaping back into the fray. It has caused a more than a bit of friction between us in the last few days. Otherwise, things are pretty good between us._
    _   
I had a good chuckle over your comment about Madame Hooch and Prof. Sprout. I wonder if anyone will nearly die during Quiddich finals this year? I know you'll have your work cut out for you anyhow. Almost makes me wish I had been able to stay on for the school year. And, I hope you won't have to many patients this year. _
    _  
Not much more to tell, but do write as soon as you've caught your breath from the start of classes!_
    _  
Love to everyone and a special little hug for Hagrid if you see him. Someone reminded me of him recently and I got to thinking about him. (Also give Mrs Norris a pat, too.) _
    _  
- Nora_

* * * 

Snape struggled with the keyboard. Such an unintuitive and impersonal way of composing a message, he thought. He found himself typing in stilted phrases in order to decrease the amount of typing he had to do. Not that he was big on the whole concept of personal touch, but it occurred to him that this technology might just ruin the venerable tradition of letter writing. At least Nora was writing her letter by hand. _All the better to read it later once I get my hands on it._

It was hunt and peck for a time but gradually he got used to the position of the keys and things speeded up. Why on earth had they jumbled up the letters so? It would have much greater sense to put them in alphabetical order, at least making them easier to find. He presumed there had to be some logic to it but it escaped him at the moment.

He finished his message and sent it according to directions. Then, he looked for a way to erase any record of it. Ah, transfer to trash. That was the ticket. 

* * *

Nora had completed her task and looked in vain for some postage stamps she was out of them. Sev, if you're OK in there, I'm just going to whip over to the corner store to mail this, she called out from the kitchen.  

Severus immediately appeared in the sitting-room doorway with his hand out. I've just finished. Why don't you let me mail that for you? 

No that's all right, I'd like to stretch my legs anyway. And it's just up to the corner here. I have to get a stamp anyway, and I forget how much it is for airmail to the U.K.

No really, let me, he smiled innocently.

It's all right, really. But you can come for the walk if you'd like. _What does he want?_ she wondered. _He NEVER smiles like that unless he's up to something._

How did you make out with the e-mail? Nora asked, eyeing him narrowly as they left the house.

Oh, fine, fine. It's all sent. The keyboard is a bit awkward, but I suppose I shall get used to it, he replied.

Good. What were you asking Remus about that was so urgent?

My, you certainly have a lot of large trees on this street. What are they, plane trees?

Um, they call them maple here, and you're changing the subject.

Oh, just this and that. Mostly I just wanted to practice in case I wanted to ask him something later.

I certainly hope you lie better when you are spying, she thought.

Snape shot a glance in her direction as though he read her mind.

_Damn. I have to get better at cloaking my mind from him._

In moments they were in the convenience store and Nora laid the envelope on the counter as she asked for a stamp. While her attention was supposedly elsewhere, Severus covertly knocked it to the floor and tried to slide it under the counter with his foot.

Saw that, Nora murmured, and making no one else saw her, caused the envelope to leap to her waiting hand from the floor. She brushed off the dirt from the floor, applied the stamp, and walked to the mailbox outside with the letter clutched firmly in her grip. She eyed him defiantly as she dropped the letter into the mailbox.

_I'm not sure what you think you're up too, but don't ever try to read my personal letters again, Mister_, she threatened. She intended for him to receive THAT message loud and clear. 

* * *

Vera had just left. Remus had hoped she would stay the night, but she had pleaded an early meeting in the morning and rose to put her clothes on, too soon for his liking. Still, it had been an excellent evening.

Remus wasn't tired, though he should have been. Perhaps he would just fire up the computer and see if there were any messages. 

The following letter arrived in his mailbox: 

    _  
From: doctornora@strat.net_  
_To:moony5478@freemail.com  
Subject: document  
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 15:46:15 -0400  
  
_
    _Remus: _
    _  
After our conversation, realised had something important to ask. _
    _  
Problem with passport McG created - some changes became by the time we got to airport  - necessary to use in order to get through Canadian immigration._
    _  
Can you talk to men who supplied other docs? If so, need British passport ASAP. Still have photograph they could use. Appreciate if you could take care of that & send here. May need to make trip back. Will arrange for money to be wired to you to cover expenses, let me know amount._
    _  
Pls. do not mention this to anyone at H_ as have no wish to trouble McG  - don't wish her to know her work was less than perfect._
    _- Severus Snape_
  
Curious, he thought. First of all, why the rush to get a new passport, and why a British one, unless he wanted to come home right away and did not plan on returning to Canada to live? And since when had Snape ever been concerned about anyone else's feelings, particularly when it concerned the quality of their spells and charms? 

Remus shook his head with a wry smile. No doubt about it, Snape was Up To Something.

* * *

NEXT: A Second Opinion

* * *

A/N

Sorry, sorry sorry! I'm behind in my "update schedule". Seems like one of those months when everyone wants me to do something for them. 

I had hoped for a more hilarious "fish out of water" encounter for Snape with the computer. Figures he'd turn out to be a frigging genius at it.

Thanks, Shadowycat, for confirming that I succeeded in conveying Snape's duplicity with Nora. And you have reminded me of an extraneous plot point I introduced oh so long ago (meaning I wrote it oh so long ago!!) about Percy Weasley. Now I have to remember to go somewhere with that!

- Grey Lady


	10. A Second Opinion

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 10: A Second Opinion

The following morning Snape asked Nora to show him what he had to do to see if he had received a reply from Lupin. 

"It's quite simple, really," she said. "I have this program set up to check for mail as soon as I open it, and this is the in-box here. If you want to check your mail during a session, just click that button there. And if you want to reply to a message you've gotten, just click that one there."

"Ah. That seems simple enough. And here is a message from Lupin, now," Snape replied, suddenly getting very possessive with the computer.

"Fine, I'll just leave you two alone, then!" Nora said, rolling her eyes. "But no reading my personal mail, please. Just be sure what you read is really meant for you!"  _As if I could stop him_, Nora thought, shaking her head.

    From: moony5478@freemail.com   
To: doctornora@strat.net  
Subject: document  
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 02:15:26 +0100
      
Severus:
    Got your message. 
      
Yes, I can take care of that little problem for you right away. Did you want to have the document in your own name or would you prefer to use an alias? Just a thought—I'm using one myself, as one can't be too careful in these times.
    Anything else you'd like me to do for you?
       
- Remmy Wolfe

  
Hmm, thought Severus. So Remus was using a false name in this dimension. Yes, it probably would be best to have the new passport under a false name and to use that name when he returned to London. It would certainly save him from a lot of the wretched difficulties he'd had by using his real name the first time around. 

But what name to use? He had used the name "Steven Parsons" when they were staying in London and trying to evade Welkin. Maybe a different name was required. He wasn't sure his choice was terribly important, but it had to be a name he felt comfortable with. The name "Sandor Paine" came to mind. Could he live with that? But would he need to, for very long?

He hit the reply button and composed his answer.

     Remmy:
      
A suitable moniker, if not terribly original. What do you think of the name "Sandor Paine"? Can you make the arrangements as soon as possible? 
    As to your other question, yes, there might be something else you can do for me. Perhaps it would be best to speak about this on the telephone. Call me at your earliest opportunity.
      
S.S.

Would Remus, once he had heard certain facts and theories about this dimension, be willing to at least listen to his ideas for defeating Voldemort without alerting Dumbledore? Or would he merely listen and gather information, then betray his plans to the elder wizard? Snape was getting used to this new way of communicating (certainly faster than owls, at this distance!) but like any written medium there was no way to gauge his correspondent's tone or intent. It would be somewhat easier using voice communication, but face-to-face would have been best. That was impossible in this situation, so he had to settle for what was possible. 

* * *

Much to Nora's annoyance, Severus had insisted in staying around the house all day, refusing to leave in case the phone rang. He had commandeered the computer repeatedly, checking e-mail. 

Nora was somewhat amused by his sudden interest in his new toy, and assumed that it had something to do with the plot he was cooking up. As much as it pleased her that he was busy and interested in something, her concerns that he would run off to London and put himself into danger clouded her desire to see him active and purposeful. Hopefully Remus would assist in getting enough operatives together in Britain to see the plan through without Severus having to be there in person. That was, if he agreed to help at all. Nora had sensed that Remus felt great loyalty to Dumbledore and his methods and might not agree to help with a plan she knew would be considered very risky.

A call came through later that afternoon, much to both Nora and Severus' relief. Naturally, he insisted on taking the call in private.

* * *

"Well, Severus, I hope this is going to be good. I had half a mind to call you collect except I realised that Nora would be the one paying for it," Remus began when Snape came on the line.

"Just add it to my tab, Remus, or should I say 'Remmy'. I'm more than happy to reimburse you for any expense you incur on my behalf," Snape replied with a hint of a sneer in his voice. 

"I see, well, what can I do for you now? I'll speak to the passport people tomorrow, and by the way, the name 'Paine' is oddly appropriate, somehow. Perhaps we should get you a commission in the army and then you can be 'Major Paine'."

"Hah, hah," Snape responded without mirth. "Actually, Lupin, this is a rather delicate matter. Can we speak frankly, just between us, about a few theories I've been having since I arrived here?"

"If you mean by 'just between us' that you don't wish this conversation to go any further, you have my word of honour, but I can't promise you that I'll agree to any schemes you might be plotting."

"Now, what makes you think that I'm plotting anything?"

"Oh, I don't know, Snape," he replied dryly. "You've been unusually transparent lately. I suppose the problem of distance makes it harder for you to operate with your usual subtlety, but asking for a new passport was a pretty large tip-off that you're already planning to return. For what purpose, I can only imagine. I presume you're about to enlighten me?"

"You are obviously aware, since you now spend so much time in this dimension yourself that our abilities to do magic are severely dampened here. And that although you probably still do posses a few of your native powers, you yourself are no longer a werewolf in this dimension, because those creatures simply do not exist here."

"Very true, though yes, I do still have a few skills at my disposal. And of course, those of us who do know of this dimension have known all along that there is very little magic present here. But, what is your point?"

"My point is more of a question. Just for the sake of conjecture, what effect do you suppose this dimension might have on Voldemort, if he could be induced to pass into it?"

Remus was silent for a few moments. "Hmm. That is a very interesting question. If he were still in his original human form, I'd imagine he'd be just like us... not terribly powerful at all. But since he's had to resort to extraordinary means to remake himself in his present form, it would be hard to say what the effect might be on him... or on this dimension."

"Do you think it might be possible that he could be destroyed outright?"

"How, exactly?"

"I'm wondering, since his original body was destroyed in the attack on the Potters, his present body is more or less a construct, conjured up by supernatural means, at least according to young Potter's eye-witness account. In a way, he has become a demon or other sort of supernatural being. Therefore, if he were to enter a dimension where supernatural beings do not exist, he might—simply vanish."

"An interesting theory, but what if it's wrong? He's a very powerful wizard, able to draw upon terrible dark magic.  What, if by passing over here, he were somehow able to summon whatever dark forces that might exist here and unleash them upon this world?"

"But there are no dark magics here for him to draw upon," Snape insisted.

"I'm not entirely certain of that. I don't think we have accurately assessed the forces at work here. Certainly I feel there is great evil here, even if it only exists in the hearts and minds of men. You might be aware of that if you've been paying attention to recent world events."

"Indeed, I am paying attention, and I have been doing a great deal of research into the history and politics of this dimension. I would tend to agree with you that they are, on the whole, a very warlike people. But that is only human nature, not dark forces at work."

"But the things that are going on here have not happened in our dimension. It seems to me that this place does have more evil in it somehow."

"That's a very interesting thing, Lupin, the differences in the timeline of this dimension and ours. Are you aware that they were identical right up until 1914?"

"I'm not sure I'm following you. I thought the timelines were completely different. We don't even have the same monarch or government leaders."

"No, but from my own research and from what Nora has told me, the two dimensions ran on a complete parallel up until 1914, when the first World War started here. In fact, I'm going to venture to say that the Mundane dimension and ours were actually one and the same up until that point."

"Now I'm really not following you. Do you mind terribly explaining yourself?" Remus asked.

* * *

NEXT: Origin of the Mundane

* * *

A/N

It's been bothering me that Snape is not operating with his usual subtlety. I got quite stuck on this point for a while. But it occured to me that he is feeling so "out of the loop" at the moment that perhaps his customary caution is being thrown to the winds. I also think his devious nature would be quite well known to Remus... who might suspect him even if he were being more subtle. 

- Grey Lady


	11. Origin of the Mundane

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 11: Origin of the Mundane

And so Snape explained to Lupin what he had learned about Mundane history. 

"In 1914 an event took place here that was supposedly the catalyst for the start of the First World War. It was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, which was committed by a member of a gang of Serbian rebels called the Black Hand during the Duke's official visit to Sarajevo.

"Nora and I put our heads together to come up with theories about this event and why it had not occurred in our dimension. However, the Duke's visit is mentioned in _Wizard-Muggle Relations: A Concise History__._ It was such an insignificant event in the Wizarding world, that to bring it up in that book at all suggested there was something important about it. Certainly, it had been a very important event in this world."

"Yes, that is curious," Lupin agreed. 

"Ultimately we concluded that the assassination had been prevented from happening by some magical means, either because some seer had predicted it would start a war, or perhaps a group of wizards had gone back in time to undo what had been done. In doing so, we believe some cataclysm caused a rift in space/time that had resulted in the Mundane world splitting off from the Magical World."

"Great Merlin! I wonder if Dumbledore is aware of this."

"Well, it's only a theory, of course, but it does tend to explain a lot of things, And further, I'd suggest that it was not the Mundane world that was created in the split: it was the Magical world!"

"So you are saying, that in order for wizards to keep themselves safe from human-caused catastrophe, a new dimension was split off, taking the wizards with it, and most of the magic in the world as well?'

"Yes. Most of the wizards and magical forces, but perhaps not all. How else would you explain people like Nora who are born in this dimension but are unquestionably magical folk?"

"I'll grant you that."

"Further, I believe that somehow non-magical people with more warlike tendencies were excluded from the new dimension, which very possibly explains why there were no major Muggle wars in the last century," Snape added.

"Well, it might just be that by preventing one act, an entire chain of events was prevented, but nonetheless, it's a very convincing explanation for the similarities – and differences – between our dimensions!"

"This brings rise to another conjecture – if the Magical dimension was indeed split off from this one, then magic and Wizards once existed here. There's a rich mythology about alchemy, wizardry and witchcraft and popular tales of magic and magical creatures. What could the source for these stories have been, if they had not been fact at one time?"

"At the very least it suggests a form of collective unconscious or a racial memory of a more magical time," Lupin replied.

"There's quite an outstanding modern example of this… Have you heard of an author named J.R.R. Tolkien?"

"Yes, of course: there's a film of one of his books, 'The Fellowship of the Ring'. I hear it's very popular. A friend of mine keeps trying to get me to see it."

"What's interesting is that Tolkien was born before the rift occurred. I wonder if he could have been a wizard that got left behind in this dimension when the rift occurred. I have read his books, and it seems to take a lot of its plot from what I recall of tales from Wizard pre-history."

"Really? I suppose I should look into this. But speaking of films, Snape, I'm beginning to wonder from what you have told me if this parallel history has anything to do with another peculiar cultural trend I've encountered here."

"Now, what 'trend' would that be? It wouldn't have anything to do with one of our former students, would it?" Snape asked slyly, feeling certain that Lupin was about to broach a subject that had been much on his own mind of late.

"Oh, dear, I suppose you'll have encountered it by now. It's this whole damned 'Harry Potter' phenomenon."

"A-hah! I wondered if you had remained in the dark about it. Yes, I know all about the damned books, and Nora even made me watch part of the film."

"Well, now you'll understand why I had to change my name. You wouldn't believe some of the looks I was getting when I told people that my name was Remus Lupin. But, ye Gods, man, don't tell me you're still running around using your own name?"

"I am, and I've concocted a perfectly logical explanation for it. I simply tell people I'm a personal acquaintance of the author."

"Well and good, but what I can't understand is how this blasted Rowling woman came to write these books in the first place. Does this have anything to do with the parallel dimensions? Is she from this dimension or ours?"

"This one," Snape revealed, with a great deal of satisfaction

"Well, she certainly must number at least one wizard among her acquaintances. It's not _really_ you, is it?"

"Merlin's beard, of course not! But there is more than one wizard involved, and I know exactly who they are." 

"And I have a distinct feeling you are about to tell me."

"Yes, I am, but before I do, I must remind you that you assured me this entire conversation was just between us." No point in getting anyone into trouble at this time, if by preserving their secrets he might gain a few allies.

"Agreed," Remus replied stiffly, though he had grave misgivings about doing so. "I do solemnly swear on my mother's grave not to reveal any of this to anyone."

"All right, then. It was Algernon Welkin and Ginny Weasley."

"Young Miss Weasley?" Lupin roared. "Does her family know about this? Good lord, they are all in enough trouble as it is, what with Percy being suspended from the Ministry and all."

"I really have no idea if they do know, though it wouldn't surprise me if Percy had an idea."

"But… but… I don't understand. How did Welkin get involved in this?"

"Apparently, he met Ms. Rowling in a café in the Mundane dimension in Edinburgh…"

"Oh, of course… he used to go up to Edinburgh all the time on Ministry business. But it's a bit of a leap from his meeting her over coffee to her writing a book about Harry Potter."

"Apparently, she was working on a children's book about a boy who finds out he's a wizard and gets sent to a special school. I suppose the old fool just couldn't resist telling her the plot was fact, not fiction. He put her in touch with Ginny Weasley, who was already writing a biography of Potter. And so they collaborated on their projects." 

"What an idiot! This is an incredible breach of protocol. And just how do you know all of this?"

"He told us, himself, in an e-mail, after we got here."

"Again, what an idiot! And senile too, probably! Well, it's a damned good thing he's thinking of retiring. I only hope he can be encouraged to stay as far away from Ministry business as possible. But I suppose under the circumstances we can excuse Miss Weasley, as she was quite young at the time, I imagine?"

"I think when the collaboration began, she would still have been a student, yes."

Lupin sighed heavily. "Well, it's been enough of a headache knowing these books exist, but now that I know the reason, it all makes a weird kind of sense."

"So, how long have you known?"

"Almost from the moment I set up housekeeping here. Certainly the first time I set foot in a booksellers… there are posters and flyers for the books and all these little trinkets they sell, everywhere! Do you know they have even made a doll, of sorts, representing Hagrid holding a baby dragon? -- My God, did I just hear you SNORT? -- Pull yourself together, man!"

Snape, uncharacteristically, was indeed nearly incapacitated with laughter at that point. Somehow the idea of Rubeus Hagrid shrunk to doll size just struck him as the most absurd thing he had heard of yet in this absurd dimension. It would be something to think of next time he was attacked by a boggart.

"Where can I get one?" he sniggered. "And I must ask, does Dumbledore know of these books?" he asked, recovering himself.

"As far as I know, he does not. At least if he does, he never heard it from me. I think he has enough on his plate at the moment," Lupin said.

"That was my feeling as well. Nora and I thought that as long as no one in this dimension actually gets wind of the fact that the magical dimension exists, it's all quite harmless."

_Indeed_, thought Lupin. _How very tolerant of you._ He was certain under other circumstances Snape would have been more than willing to carry tales to Dumbledore about any infraction committed by another wizard. He had to assume it suited some purpose of Snape's for their leader to remain ignorant of this incredible violation. 

"Well, that's probably the best attitude to have at this point. There's certainly nothing we can do about it, eh? Except that I have been thinking of going to Honeydukes and stocking up on Bertie Blott's Every Flavour Beans. I could make a killing on those in this dimension!" Remus chuckled.

"I do hope you're joking. At any rate, I suppose we must end this conversation for now, but I will want to continue this discussion by e-mail. Give some thought to what I said before, about what you think might happen to Voldemort of he were brought over here. I'm thinking this could work to our advantage, but I'd like your opinion."

Since when was Severus Snape interested on any one else's opinion on anything? "Yes, certainly, Severus. Actually, it's been good talking to you. This was probably the longest conversation we have had in quite a while." 

"Quite likely."  

The two men ended their call.

Remus presumed his associate was trying to gain his approval of, or collusion in, some scheme to bring Voldemort over to this dimension. It would be interesting to see just what he had in mind. And if it seemed like a good plan, he might just go along with it.

* * *

NEXT: Weapons of Mass Destruction

* * *

A/N

A bonus chapter! I've been taking too long between updates because I am so _freakin'_ busy right now... Why does every single one of my clients want something done right before Christmas???

Snape is going to have to rely heavily on Remus because he is unable to act for himself. Therefore he's going to have to be a lot more trusting than he normally would be.. and he's not going to like it one little bit!

-Grey Lady


	12. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 12: Weapons of Mass Destruction

After his latest conversation with Lupin, Snape at least felt he had piqued the man's interest. Regardless of how he might feel about him personally, he did know that Remus was a man of honour and he had given his word not to divulge their conversations to Dumbledore or anyone else he didn't want knowing about them. So on that score, at least, he trusted him. 

But before he could reveal his plan to Lupin, he had to have formed one. Part one was finding a sure fire bait to entice Voldemort to go through any one of the portals in London; part two was creating their very own mole to take the information to the target. This would be the most difficult part. 

Voldemort could probably be convinced to pass through on any pretext that would promise him additional power at no risk to himself. But whoever carried that knowledge to him had to be someone the Dark Lord trusted implicitly. This meant that a known loyal follower of his would either have to be turned to their side, or be convinced that whatever story Snape concocted about the Mundane dimension was true. And since Snape was now a known traitor against Voldemort, he could not be the one to do the convincing. 

Attempting to turn a loyal Death Eater was probably too risky if not downright impossible. Tricking one into helping them unwittingly would be difficult also, since passing disinformation to that person would have to be carried out either by someone whose loyalties to the forces of Good were in question, or who could appear to have been forced to divulge "secrets" under duress. 

The idea of what to use as bait was already forming in his mind. During their stopover in London, Severus and Nora had visited the Museum of Science. The visit had been an eye-opener for Snape: a glimpse into marvels of technology that had almost seemed like magic. 

The most disturbing revelation was the existence of weapons of mass destruction. Atomic bombs had first been used in World War II, and had effectively ended the war, but millions of people had been killed in the process. It sickened him to learn that nuclear weapons had progressed past their infancy and had proliferated around the globe at an alarming rate. He was certain that nothing like this existed in the Muggle/Magical dimension. 

In addition to nuclear arms, biological weapons also existed that could wipe out a population with a dreaded disease and leave property, material goods and technology intact. This might also appeal to Voldemort: all that wealth at his disposal with no one left alive to hinder him from taking and exploiting it—unless enslaving living Muggles was part of his plan.

Would the promise of such a weapon be enough to lure Voldemort into the Mundane dimension? Would he be pleased to possess a weapon capable of wiping out an entire city or small nation? Even the threat of using such a weapon would surely be more effective at spreading terror than a handful of Death Eaters waving wands about and destroying a few houses. In fact, it might be enough to terrorise vast armies of Muggles into doing his bidding. But would he trust non-magical technology enough to want to use it?

Or could Voldemort be convinced that great magical power existed here in the Mundane dimension and that these weapons were actually evidence of a web of dark magic which existed here, greater than any dark forces he had ever had at his disposal?

Proof would have to be provided that the information was true. It was going to take something very convincing. Obviously he couldn't trigger an actual nuclear explosion; that would be far too devastating. The mark could be should archival footage of nuclear tests, but that would not be enough to convince Voldemort. 

Some sort of demonstration would have to be given that terrible dark magic existed in the Mundane Dimension that Voldemort could draw upon. And since no form of strong magic actually existed here, something would have to be rigged up using some sort of Mundane technology that would appear to be magic.

So the question remained: how to do it?

Snape confessed to himself that, for once, he was at a loss. He had the seed of an idea but not enough knowledge of this dimension's technology to carry it forward. He had grown accustomed to bouncing ideas off Nora, who had a quick mind and, obviously, a far greater knowledge of the Mundane world than he had. Her input and perspective were always valuable to him, but because of the fight they had had about his plans to return to London, he was unwilling to discuss this particular problem with her. Besides, she simply didn't have the intimate knowledge of Voldemort that he had, so it would be impossible for her to make any sort of prediction as to how the evil wizard would react in a given situation. 

He was shocked to find himself actually considering bouncing his ideas off Remus Lupin in order to get things moving along. He was certainly going to need Remus' help, and if engaging him in solving this particular puzzle was a way to get him involved in the plot, then perhaps talking things over with him was the best course. Besides, with Remus' connections in London, he just might know someone who could build some sort of device or effect that would serve as a demonstration of power.

But Snape realised with a sardonic chuckle that his old rival would never accept that he would willingly admit that he didn't have a fully formed solution to this problem. In any other situation, he'd have bluffed in order to make the other man think he had all the answers. How was he going to convince Lupin that he really did require his help, or the help of someone he knew? Any such assertions would probably be met with grave suspicion and very possibly, amusement or derision. And frankly he had to concede that being put in the position of admitting his own deficiency to Lupin, of all people, was not a very comforting prospect.

Still, if this was what it would take to get the wheels in motion, perhaps it was time to swallow his pride and ask for help. Hopefully, he'd find a way to do it without losing too much face.

* * *

NEXT: Up To Something

* * *

A/N

Snape losing face... now there's a nasty prospect! Hopefully the part of his face that he loses won't be his lovely nose! ; )

Thanks for the reviews! To see the word "wonderful" in connection to one of my chapters warms my heart!

-Grey Lady


	13. Up To Something

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 13: Up To Something 

Snape bit the bullet and called Lupin the following afternoon. Nora had jotted down the number at some point, and he found it in a small pile of papers on her computer desk. Having thought about how to broach the subject for the past several hours, he decided the best tack was a direct approach. No whining, no hedging, just state his requirements and let Lupin make a suggestion. 

Remus was in, but allowing for the time difference, it was early evening in London and as he was preparing to visit Vera, he was not in the mood to chat.

"I have to go out soon, Snape. Can we make this quick, or do it another time?"  

Not to be so easily deterred, Snape ploughed on. "The conversation we had yesterday…" he began. "Have you had an opportunity to think about it?"

"I must admit the idea of bringing Voldemort through to this dimension in order to neutralize him seems intriguing, but I'm still not sure what the actual result would be. Besides, how are you planning to entice him to come over?"

"What I need is something impressive enough to fool Voldemort into thinking there was some sort of weapon or powerful magic he could use on Muggles if he were to come here. I may require some help from some of your contacts, perhaps the fellows who built the tracking device for the magical tags. Do you think they might be able to come up with some sort of technological trick that would appear to be a weapon, without actually being destructive?"

"Hmmm. That's certainly something worth exploring. I can ask around, discretely, and I'll let you know if I hear about anything likely," Lupin replied. No harm in doing a bit of research to see if this half baked plot were even feasible, he thought.

"Good, good. There's another thing, too, as I'm sort of stuck here for the time being, I'm wondering if you might be able to get in touch with some other wizards who might be able to help me carry this out."

"Whom did you have in mind?"

"Some fellows who are not exactly on Dumbledore's A-list, but I'll vouch that they can be trusted. I'm thinking of Rakesh Devani and Vladimir Plotkin."

Remus was taken aback at this suggestion. He had heard of those two, but Plotkin had dropped out of sight several years ago and might not even be still living. Rumour also had it that Devani was a dabbler in the Dark Arts. "I haven't seen either of those fellows for some time. It might be difficult tracking them down. But I'm going to have to give this some further thought before I agree to help you find them. Even if I did know them well enough to trust them, which I don't, I'm not so sure we want to bring too many other wizards up to speed on the existence of the Mundane dimension just now. I think we might be better off sticking to some people we know."

"Who, for example?" 

"Sirius Black, for one. I know he can't operate too freely in the Magical dimension but he could certainly go without being detected on the Mundane side."

"Can't use him." Snape dismissed his old enemy out of hand. "I need operatives on the magical side, and at the moment. I need someone who can convince Voldemort to come through. It either has to be someone on our side who can convince Voldemort he can be trusted, or someone on his side we can dupe into carrying a message. Devani is an unknown quantity as far as Voldemort is concerned, but with his background I think he would make a convincing Death Eater."

"And just how recently were you in touch with either of them?"

"I ran into Plotkin on my travels this past year. He's been in hiding in Armenia. As for Devani, he's right under your nose… almost. He's been living in a suburb of London for the past two years, Magical dimension, that is. I have an address. You could owl him." 

"Well, even if I could easily contact Devani, how likely is he to agree to help?"

"If you told him what it was about, and that I had asked for him, he'd do it. Let's just say he owes me a favour," Snape added mysteriously.

"Still, I think we'd be far better off creating a mole from someone already in the Death Eaters, someone we know Voldemort trusts. Let me give it a bit of thought, and I'll get back to you."  

Snape grimaced as he realised that he was getting more help from Lupin than he had bargained for… or even wanted. Still, he couldn't discount the other man's input if he needed his help, and he definitely did need help with this and was now finding himself in the uncomfortable position of being at Lupin's mercy, stuck on the other side of the pond as he was.

"All right," Snape added, "just as long as we don't use Potter and his little pals."

"Some of Potter's 'little pals' might in fact be excellent choices for this mission," Lupin retorted.

_Yes, indeed... there just might be some Weasleys who could be blackmailed into helping out with this_, Snape mused.

"At any rate, Snape, as I said, I have an appointment, so I must cut this short. I'll e-mail you if I think of anyone. As to the other matter, I may be able to start my inquiries this very evening." 

* * *

"Was it good for you, Wolf-Man?" Vera asked teasingly as they both basked in Vera's bed in the afterglow of a particularly vigorous "workout".

Remus, a.k.a. "Remmy Wolfe" growled deep in his chest in reply as his partner toyed with his facial hair.

"I must say that stylist I sent you to did a nice job on your beard," she remarked. "I thought you were pretty hot with that slightly uncared-for look, but you did clean up nicely," she chuckled.

"Why, thank you, ma'am." Remus drawled, drawing himself up into a half sitting position. Taking one of her braids between thumb and forefinger, he said "I always wanted to ask, how long does it take to do your hair every morning?"

"What, the dreads? Hours and hours, honey, but I certainly don't do them every morning. I go to my hairdresser about every three months and have them re-done, but one of these days I might just show up with the whole thing buzzed off. Eventually they just get too bad to undo."

"Hmm. I like your hair the way it is, but you might look good with a close crop," he remarked.

"Well, it's not exactly like I'll be asking for your permission to do it," she said testily. "My hair's my own business."

"Like my hair's not your business?" Remus laughed, recalling her insistence that he get a makeover from her friend Brenda. 

"That's different. You're a man. I own you. You don't own me."

"Oh, I see," he chuckled. "Like having a cat as a pet, then, is it? They own you, you don't own them?"

"So you're comparing me to a cat… It's not really like that, I suppose," Vera sighed. "I don't even know your real name," she added, pouting slightly.

"I thought you knew well enough not ask."

"I'm not asking, but that doesn't mean I don't wonder what you and your buddies are all about."

"You know I can't tell you, but if it eases your mind any, in the great struggle between good and evil, we are definitely on the side of good."

"G versus E, eh?" she said lightly. "In which struggle… organized crime? Terrorism? Alien invasion? Industrial espionage? "

"Nothing like that. Even if I could tell you, you wouldn't believe me. Let's just say we are trying to prevent a very evil man from getting the upper hand."

"Must be alien invasion, then," she replied dryly. "Well, I'm all for stopping the 'Big Bad', whoever or whatever he might be, but in my experience, everybody thinks they're on the side of Good… especially terrorists!"

"We're not terrorists, but potentially our enemy is. We are trying to find a way to neutralise him before he does something really terrible."

"Is that why your buddy wants to come back to the U.K. so badly? The one I'm making the passport for, who you just safely sent off to Canada?"

"Yes, that's part of it, but frankly I don't think it's such a good idea for him to return here. I'm trying to discourage him."

"The Big Bad's after him particularly, is he? What'd he do, run over his dog? Sleep with his wife?"

"I can't get into it…" 

"At least he picked a better name this time. Whatever possessed him to use the name of a character from a children's book?"

"Um, well…"

"And speaking of stylists, your friend 'Snape' is in definite need of one. If I ever meet him, I'll definitely recommend Brenda to him!"

"Yes, I'm sure he'd appreciate that," Remus said dubiously. "But while we're on the topic of stopping the 'Big Bad', I actually do think I could use your associates' help, if it's possible to make some inquiries without getting too specific about why."

"Of course, our technicians are always discrete. What do you need?"

"I'm not sure exactly. I think what we're trying to do is convince 'Big Bad' that someone has developed a very compact yet powerful weapon that they're trying to offer to him. Something capable of devastating a wide area."

"Certainly there're enough weapons like that in existence already. He's heard of nuclear weapons, of course?" she asked incredulously.

"Naturally, but we'd like to convince him we have something entirely new, more powerful. In fact, I would venture that his knowledge of current weaponry is not, erm, up-to-date. Not that we actually need such a thing made, of course. It's more that we're trying to bait a trap so that we can… well, draw him out and capture him. He's been very elusive. It has to be something that will appeal to his lust for power. It might even be well to suggest there's something magical or supernatural about it."

Vera was becoming very confused by this. This bad guy didn't know much about weapons of mass destruction, but apparently believed in magic. How much of a threat could such a wingnut be? 

"This fellow's crazy, right?"

"As a snake. But he's very devious, and not incautious. He will have to be convinced to enter our ambush by someone he trusts. He also has to be convinced to come in person, and alone, and not to just send one of his henchmen. We could, of course, just do the demonstration for one of his people and let the word get back to him. The actual bait could be the promised delivery of the weapon."

"So in order to bait the trap you need to promise him something so great that will appeal to his greed and overcome his natural caution. Sort of a sting operation."

"Whatever that is. But yes, you have the gist of it."

She was thoughtful for a moment. "OK, what if were could rig up a demonstration for him of something that could, say, black out a few city blocks? Stop clocks, kill car engines, that sort of thing? You might even be able to convince him that it killed every living thing within a certain radius without destroying any property."

"But would it actually kill anyone?" Remus asked, alarmed.

"No, of course not, but depending on how elaborate the set-up is, we might be able to make it look as though it has. The device might actually ruin some electrical equipment, but most of the effects are only temporary. Here, let me show you something." 

Vera rose from the bed and crossed the room to the entertainment unit as Remus appreciatively surveyed her ample yet perfectly proportioned chocolate-brown posterior. She rummaged through a shelf holding several DVD's, selected a disk and put it in the player. It was a movie called "Ocean's Eleven".

She returned to the bed with the remote and snuggled in next to him. "Now in this film", she said, flipping through the menu to find the scene breakdown, "these fellows want to rob a gambling casino – actually three of them – and in order to pull it off they need all the power to go out for a certain period of time. So they steal this bomb. It's called an Electro Magnetic Pulse bomb: EMP for short. Supposedly it simulates the EMP effect of a nuclear explosion without the massive devastation… but the pulse, you see, knocks out the power grid for the entire city. For about 30 seconds, in this case." She ran the scene.

"But this is just a movie… does such a device exist? And I must say, that thing is fairly large! Can your technicians actually make something like this? Can they make a smaller one?"

"Theoretically, they can make one that would fit in a briefcase. All it takes is cold hard cash. Rather a lot of it, I should think."

"Well, we have the cash. It sounds like it might work, if we can concoct a scenario to go with it. I think we might need a few more special effects to make it truly convincing. There will be an actual explosion, of course?"

"Just a small one, I think. You'd probably want to be in an open area and have folks well away from the detonation. Mind you I'm not really an expert on this, but I have heard the boys discussing the specs for it, especially after this film came out. They figured all the bank robbers would want one!" she laughed.    

"Let's set up a meeting with your boys. I want to find out more about this before I run it by my associates."

"I'll talk to them tomorrow. Oh, they'll be so excited, " she gushed. "They live for this kind of stuff!" 

* * *

NEXT: Strange Alliances

* * *

A/N

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. And I hope I find some time to write, soon.. before I run out of stockpiled chapters! Eeek!!

-Grey Lady


	14. Strange Alliances

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 14: Strange Alliances

Upon reflection, Remus decided it would be best to give Snape a run-down about what he and Vera had discussed the previous evening before he met with the technicians at J.M. Walsh & Associates. Although to his mind the kind of demonstration Vera had suggested seemed like a good idea, knowing Snape, he might veto it out of hand, if for no other reason than that he did not think of it himself. No point in proceeding without his approval. 

Remus knew that by collaborating with Severus Snape in this project, he was treading a thin line. Not only in dealing with his old rival—the gods knew that that association would be full of pitfalls enough—but by doing something like this behind the Ministry and Dumbledore's collective backs, he risked a severe reprimand. He supposed that at some point he would have to come clean to Dumbledore about what was planned and leave it to him to inform the Ministry, if he saw fit. But, he reasoned, there would be no need to do that until the plan was actually in place!

Also, on the issue of other operatives, he was undecided. Should he try to find Devani and Plotkin as suggested, or should he attempt to come up with a few people himself? He couldn't see doing this without Sirius Black's help, for example. Sirius probably had as much reason for wanting to witness Voldemort's ultimate defeat as Snape did. For that matter, so would Harry Potter. 

But on the other hand, if he were to be able to find out where Devani's and Plotkin's loyalties lay, they might indeed make good operatives. He had to admit that Snape's instincts on such matters were generally good, and the other wizard had indeed been a lot closer to the magical underground over the past few years than he had himself. 

Remus decided to give Snape a call that afternoon. Nora answered.

"Remus! Good to hear from you. How are things with you?" she asked. 

"Just fine, my dear, but I need to talk to Severus, if you don't mind."

"He's around somewhere, but I have to say that you two certainly seem to be burning up the trans-Atlantic phone lines! Don't tell me you miss one another?" she teased

"Hardly..." Remus replied dryly, "but I do have some further word for him on a matter we were discussing yesterday."

"If this is about him going back to Britain, I do not approve!" the young woman replied vehemently.

"Well, Nora, I'd say feel free to use your influence in that area, as I don't exactly approve of his returning to Britain either, but I think you'll find that once Severus has his mind made up to do something, no power on earth will stop him."

"We'll see about that…" Nora said ominously. "I'll go and get him." 

* * *

Snape had been sitting on the deck reading when Nora called him to the phone. He was most anxious to see what Lupin had to say. His unlikely co-conspirator wasted no time in getting to the point.

"I've been making some discrete inquiries about the possibility of setting up some sort of demonstration. It turns out there's device which just might fill the bill." Lupin briefly explained to him what an EMP was and what it would do, and how they might augment the effect with a little pyrotechnic trickery. "I'll leave it to you to decide what additional effects we should think about creating, and to come up with a story to explain it," he added.

"That's all well and good," Snape replied dubiously, "but who will build it and how much will they have to know? And how much will this cost, by the way?"

"To answer your last question first, an arm and a leg. I won't know exactly how much until I talk to them. Since you won't get Ministry backing on this, are you prepared to cover the expense?"

"I suppose I'll have to... but I do have some resources at my disposal." Although it had occurred to him that he would be footing the bill for this himself, he was not thrilled with the idea.

"Good. Well, the Goodge Street people would be building it, of course – they are very discrete, so we don't need to tell them much. My contact tells me they are itching to play around with something like this, so I imagine they'll be rather enthusiastic about doing it. If you approve of the idea, I'll try to set up a meeting with them in the next few days."  

"All right, I approve of it in theory," Severus agreed. "But just sound them out on the possibilities before we commit to anything. I wish I could be there for the meeting… but I suppose in my absence I'm forced to leave these details to you," he sighed. "By the way, how is my passport coming along?"

Remus paused for a beat before answering. Snape got the distinct impression he was stalling. "Ah, they do seem to be backed up a little at present, but I'm assured the documents will be ready fairly soon."

"I hope so. I feel as though my hands are completely tied, being stuck over here." 

"That's understandable, Severus, but I wish you could just trust me to get on with this. I don't think you should be considering travelling until the last possible minute, to be safe."

Snape scowled at this unwanted advice. His level of frustration with this situation was increasing daily. Being so far away from the centre of activity was bad enough, but the telephone was a completely unfamiliar form of communication for him. He simply could not read the thoughts of his interlocutor, even if he wanted to, which put him at a huge disadvantage. Being implored to "trust" someone had never been enough for him, and in fact this made him distrust Lupin even more. 

"You've been talking to Nora, haven't you?" he asked sourly. He well knew her feelings on the subject. 

"She has made her desires known to me, yes. But it's also my opinion that you should stay put until things progress further. For one thing, if you are discovered here by someone from the Ministry, that would be a pretty big tip-off that you are up to something. I think to maintain the secrecy of this operation as you requested, you'd be better off where you are. Don't worry, we'll be in constant touch and I won't make a move without consulting you first."

"How will I know that you are actually doing something and not just stringing me along and giving me false reports? And would you send me the bloody passport even if it was ready?"

"You'll just have to trust me on that. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"I don't know. Have you?" Snape challenged.

Lupin sighed heavily. "No need to be so belligerent, Severus. As for the passport, I'll send it when it's ready, but only if I have your word that you won't come until I send for you."

"I'm not sure I can agree to that. And who are you to withhold it from me? Still, I suppose I'm at your mercy unless I can get my own forged passport."

"I'd advise against that," Lupin replied tersely. "I just wish you'd consider the consequences before you do anything rash." 

This comment was met with several seconds of uncomfortable silence. 

"All right, I'll set up a meeting as soon as I can. I'll let you know their recommendations as soon as I've met with them. In the meantime, I'll put someone to work on finding Devani and Plotkin. I think Hermione Granger might be able to help."

"But Granger works at the Ministry! How could you trust her not to report to Fudge or someone else?" Snape retorted.

"Hermione has done some covert work for us before. Don't assume that Dumbledore's core operatives are always so forthcoming to the Ministry higher-ups with the details of our various operations. For example, there are still a quite a number of people who think you actually did go back to the Death Eaters, or that you are dead. There are only a handful of us who know the real story. And that is another good reason for you to stay where you are," Lupin explained.

"I know that my whereabouts are being kept a secret, of course." 

Also, he had long known that Dumbledore did not always operate strictly within Ministry guidelines – certainly that was true in his own case, and in the case of Sirius Black—but it was good to be reminded of this fact. 

"Look, Severus, I know this is hard for you," Lupin continued, "but try to contain your impatience and stay where you are for the time being. I promise I'll send daily reports, either by phone or e-mail. And I'll let you know when I think it is time to come back. I've as much to gain or lose by doing this as you do, believe me. We'd all like to see Voldemort defeated. But please appreciate that I'm also taking a big risk by conspiring with you like this." 

"Fair enough," Snape allowed. Though he failed to see that Lupin would stand to gain as much as he would by Voldemort's death. For one thing it meant his freedom to return to his own world. Lupin, not being a marked man, had the freedom of living in both his own world and the Mundane one. 

After he rang off, Snape considered his position carefully. Might it be prudent, he wondered, to let Dumbledore know about his plans without the Ministry being involved? He'd be concerned about the elder wizard's reaction, but if he could get him onside without alerting the Ministry, it might just be possible to get more people involved in the operation.

Also, if he were looking for loyal allies, who better than someone who had as much to gain by Voldemort's removal as he had? Though his relations with Sirius Black had long been strained, he knew that for his old enemy, Voldemort's defeat and Peter Pettigrew's capture would mean Black would be finally be cleared of the murders of the Potters and thirteen others, and would be able to come out of hiding. It might be advantageous to put old enmities aside for once and solicit his help. And Lupin had already suggested using the fugitive wizard as an agent. Yes, Black was indeed someone he could exploit in his cause.

* * *

NEXT: Meeting Ms. Granger

* * *

A/N

Thanks for the reviews! To answer Kit Cloudkicker: Yes, I'm a fan of the Tolkien movies but I confess I never finished reading the books. (I did read The Hobbit back in high school, which was a VERY long time ago!) Yes, I do know about the Jelly Belly "Every Flavour Beans" but I don't think the characters in my story do. (And anyway, grass and sardine not withstanding, they really are not "Every Flavour" are they?)

-Grey Lady


	15. Meeting Ms Granger

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 15: Meeting Ms. Granger 

It had been a while since Lupin had been back to the Magical dimension. His main mission today was to contact Hermione Granger. She was working at the Ministry of Magic offices as a researcher and Lupin was required to check in periodically to maintain contact between the dimensions. Once at the Ministry he had sent her a brief message requesting that she meet him outside The Leaky Cauldron at six p.m. It was now five minutes to the hour and he spotted her coming from the passage where the portal to Diagon Alley lay.

There might be too many curious eyes and ears inside the tavern, so he chose a Muggle café a couple of blocks away. Although he might have felt more secure taking her to the Mundane dimension for their meeting, she was, as far as he knew, not yet aware of its existence. Whether he would have to inform her of that or not, he did not know. Although he trusted the young lady implicitly, for the time being the less she knew the better.

Hermione greeted her former teacher warmly and once they were seated regarded him with curiosity. Normally when contacted to do covert work for Dumbledore she had been owled privately at her own rooms. It was not usual for Dumbledore to send another wizard to contact her at the Ministry offices. However, Lupin had met with her on one other occasion several weeks back, to receive her report on Welkin and Weatherby. At that meeting he had appeared in disguise, and she had needed a password to identify him. Evidently such subterfuge was no longer necessary.

Lupin ordered and paid for two cups of coffee at the counter and brought them back to their table. He hated lying to her, but contrary to what he had told Snape, to assure her silence it would be necessary to avoid arousing her suspicions. 

This was to be a personal favour, he explained, and although his request had to do with a project that was known to Dumbledore, they could not risk using any of their usual methods of passing messages in case they were intercepted. Therefore, no communication was to be made to Hogwarts and she was to report directly to him. Hermione quietly agreed.

"I need for you to look into the Ministry records to see if you can locate a couple of Wizards for me. They are Rakesh Devani and Vladimir Plotkin."

Hermione committed the names to memory, though they meant nothing to her. 

"Devani is thought to be in London, but I need to confirm that. Plotkin may in hiding so you might not be able to find him, but his last known whereabouts were Armenia. Naturally I have no access to Ministry records, but you do. We need your full co-operation and your utmost discretion on this."

"What have they done?" she asked with concern.

"Nothing at all, that we are aware of. I just need to get in touch with them on a sensitive matter."

"All right, I'll do my best," she promised earnestly. "How will I contact you when I've found anything?"

"Meet me here again in two days, at the same time. Can you manage that?"

"Yes, of course, I have no other plans. Hopefully I'll be able to find something by then."

"If you can't, then I'll have to go through other channels."

"I can ask around if you'd like," she offered.

"No, that won't be necessary. I'd just like you to stick to the records."

"Understood," she agreed. Business concluded, she asked him how he was doing and how things were at Hogwarts.  

"Fine, last I was there. I'm actually out in the field now so I haven't been back for a few weeks."

"Ah, I see."

"And how are you doing? Enjoying your job at the Ministry?"

"It's all right," she said, fidgeting with her spoon. "It's a bit boring, really. And I never thought I'd say that about a job where I get to look things up in books all day long…" Remus smiled, recalling how many extra-curricular hours she had willingly spent in Hogwarts' library. "But really, Professor… I mean, Mr. Lupin… I'm beginning to think I'd rather be out in the field myself. I'm sure this might lead to a promotion some day, but I'm actually starting to find it all a bit dry. Maybe my future isn't with the Ministry after all."

"Hmm. Does Mr. Fudge know how you feel?" he teased. 

"Oh, gosh no!" she exclaimed. "I hope he never finds out. But I must say that if it weren't for these occasional 'extra assignments' I get from Professor Dumbledore, I'd go quite mad."

He chuckled then, and smiled warmly at her. "Well, it's quite possible we will be involving you in some further intrigue, if that would suit you."

"Oh, yes!! And what sort of intrigue are you currently involved in?" she asked eagerly.

"Now, now, Miss Granger, you know I can't discuss that." 

"Well, um… how is Professor Snape?" she asked in a whisper, leaning forward slightly.

"What do you know about Professor Snape?" he asked cautiously.

"Ron – er - Weasley told me... in strictest confidence of course… that he was in trouble with You-Know-Who and that he's gone into hiding. I know you know something about it, but you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

"Well, naturally I cannot tell you anything, as in fact officially I know nothing. But I will allow, as it's you, that he is alive and well, and quite safe from harm, for the moment." As long as he stays where he ought to be, he added to himself. "But you never heard that from me," he added sternly.

"Oh. That's good, then," she added, chewing her lip. "As long as he's safe. Actually, we were all a bit worried." 

"I'm sure Professor Snape would be touched by your concern," Lupin said dryly. "But in order for him to remain safe, you must promise not to repeat anything we discussed today. Not even that last bit, and not even to Ron." He had heard rumours that she and Ron Weasley were romantically linked and this sort of confirmed it.

"Of course!" she quickly replied. "Not a word. You can rely on me." 

* * *

Vera called him later that evening. "I have a meeting set up for you. Can you make to our offices at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon?"

"Terrific! Let's see what they can cook up, then. I have the go-ahead to look into it from my associate abroad. And he's promised to come up with the financial backing."

"Good. But we really shouldn't be discussing this on the phone," she added sotto vocce. 

"Why not?"

"Ahem, suppose your phone line were tapped?"

"By whom?"

"By Interpol, love," she whispered. "They might think you're a terrorist or something."

"Oh." He had been so concerned about detection by their enemies that the thought of police or government interest hadn't occurred to him. 

"All right, then, I'll be there at 1:30 tomorrow. Will I see you?" 

"Not at the meeting, leastways. Not my department. But I'll be around," she added in a sultry voice. 

"Right, well, perhaps I'll see you afterwards. Unless... well, erm, what are you doing later tonight?"

"Seeing you, since you asked. I'll be at your place say, around ten?"

"I'll see you then…"

* * *

NEXT: The Goodge Street Irregulars 

* * *

A/N

Sorry, sorry, sorry... falling behind... too much to do... didn't mean to make you wait! I hpe you enjoy this in spite of the delay. 

Shadowycat: Snape may have second thoughts about trusting Sirius. Old habits die hard. Then again, how desperate will he get? At least Lupin trusts Hermione!

-Grey Lady


	16. The Goodge Street Irregulars

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 16: The Goodge Street Irregulars

Vera had left Remus' flat at eight the following morning to go to work at the offices of J. M. Walsh & Associates. He was not due there himself for several hours. He busied himself in the morning by crossing over to the magical dimension, going for a stroll in Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley to see if he could pick up any information, and dropping in briefly to the Ministry office. He had mail to deliver: checking the post office box used for inter-dimensional communications before he crossed over, he had found a letter addressed to Madame Pomfrey from Nora Sterling. He would make sure it got to Hogwarts via a Ministry owl this very day.

At lunchtime, he had a quick bite and a pint at the Leaky Cauldron. He couldn't be certain, but just as he stood to leave, he spied a young man coming through the front door who looked remarkably like Draco Malfoy. He was just about to hail his former student when the blond young man suddenly changed direction and was back on the street. Lupin tried to not which direction he had gone in but the young wizard was instantly lost in the bustle of a Muggle noontime crowd. Remus was not even entirely sure it had been Malfoy  - it had been a few years since he had seen him - and didn't have time to look for him in any event, as it was nearly one o'clock and he needed to make his appointment in Goodge Street on time. 

Slipping into the Mundane dimension at the nearest portal and hailing a cab, Remus arrived at his destination just moments before the appointed time. The receptionist greeted him and led him to the boardroom. He ran into Vera in the hallway and she gave him a slow, secret smile that warmed him right down to his toes. 

Manny Walsh, the "J.M." in J.M Walsh and Associates, impeccably if flashily dressed as usual, entered presently followed by three young men in more casual attire. "This is Jason, our computer expert... I believe you've met already… this is Terry, our weapons expert, and Scott, our spy-tech expert. Boys, this is Remmy Wolfe." After hands were shaken all round, Manny got right to the point. 

"I understand that you are looking for some fireworks," he said.

"Um… if you mean what I think you mean, I suppose so, yes," Remus replied, nonplussed.

"It was implied that you were looking for an EMP device. What exactly are we trying to accomplish here?"

Remus took a deep breath. How could he begin to explain? "We're trying to impress someone. Specifically we are hoping to give a demonstration that will suggest we have a weapon of great power on offer."

"Why not just offer to sell them a nuclear device? We can mock one up for you for a nominal charge."

"No, no, this person wouldn't be impressed by anything so... mundane. We need to convince him that we have something entirely new that will add to his arsenal and make him very powerful. We also need to suggest that there is something a little out of the ordinary about this, maybe even something a little – well -- supernatural. It was suggested to me that an EMP bomb could be used as a basis for a spectacular special effect, but that we would need more, erm, fireworks, to pull it off. Without harming anyone of course."

"And this person you are trying to impress – is he a terrorist? A despotic leader of some obscure third world country?" asked Manny blandly. 

"I suppose you are partly right on both counts," Remus nodded grimly.

"Why not just give his address to President Bush and let him sort it out?" Jason quipped. Remus grimaced: he had been following the news in this dimension and knew of the United States' war on terrorism.

"Well, we're sort of hoping it won't come to that... this particular threat is one that world governments are currently unaware of and we'd like to neutralize him before he goes too far. So far our own, erm, faction, has known this man to be a particular threat because he has been gathering followers, but so far as we know he has no actual weapons at his disposal. What we're trying to do is lure him into a trap by offering him something he thinks no one else will have."

"So this is a sort of sting operation?" Manny asked.

"If I follow your meaning, yes."

"Why come to us? Why don't you get something like Interpol involved in this?"

"We came to you because you specialize in accommodating this sort of 'unofficial' business, and I was also given to believe there wouldn't be too many bloody questions!" Remus replied tersely.   

"Point taken," Manny said quietly.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Terry spoke up. "What's the scenario then?"

"I'm hoping that you can help me figure that out, since I'm not entirely clear on what's possible. The plan is to lure one of our man's operatives into a meeting and a demonstration of the 'weapon'. The demonstration should show that the weapon is capable of knocking out power and possibly killing some people within a certain radius. It should also be suggested that at full force it is capable of something catastrophic, like release some sort of magical powers or 'dark forces', if you will. But bear in mind we only need to impress his followers with this weapon, so that they will convince him to want to see it for himself. If we can just get him into a meeting then I think we'll have him where we want him without any further special effects being required." 

Remus heard Terry snort behind his hand and turned on him with barely controlled anger. "Consider if you will, that our mark is pretty much insane, evilly so. You might not believe this sort of nonsense, but he will!" Though Remus knew it was not nonsense, at least not in his home dimension.

"OK. Let's think 'movies', then. Maybe we can suggest it could say, open up a portal to a Demon dimension or something?" Scott suggested.

"You've been watching too many episodes of 'Angel'," Terry sniggered again.

"Actually, I've been reading Robert Asprin's 'M.Y.T.H.' series," Scott retorted under his breath.

"Well, the idea of a dimensional portal is right on the money, but I had more in mind of making him think it would give him access to some dark magics."

"Who does this guy think he is, Lord Voldemort or something?" Terry asked under his breath.

Remus blanched at the inadvertent accuracy of his pop-culture reference, and there was another uncomfortable silence while the boys pondered the problem. "What's your budget on this?"  Manny asked.

"Pretty much unlimited, I think."

Manny sat back and crossed his arms. "Sounds like we should get our 'special events co-ordinator' in on this meeting." He reached over and pressed a button on the desk phone. "Sandra? Can you see if Miss LaFay is free? We'd like to see her in the board room if possible."

Presently, an attractive female in her late thirties with carefully coiffed honey-blonde hair entered the room, and extended her hand to Remus. "Good afternoon, I'm Morgan LaFay. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

Remus Lupin was so surprised as he took her hand that he almost blurted out his real name. True to her infamous moniker, unless his faculty for detecting magical power was completely out of whack, Miss LaFay was indeed a witch.

* * *

NEXT: Remus Checks In 

* * *

A/N

Again with the apologies. Work & life are nuts. I hope to actually find some time to write SOOOOOOON....

Thanks to Autymn for her kind offer to beta for me... I might still be in touch, but with no time to write there's nothing to beta... at the moment!

RE: the Robert Aspirin reference, I have read a few of the books in the M.Y.T.H. series and greatly enjoyed them. Being a big "Buffy" and "Angel" fan, I have to wonder if Joss Whedon has read them too. He certainly seems to have taken a lot of his ideas about Demon dimensions from them! I also once met Bob Asprin along with a bunch of old-style Klingons at a Star Trek convention in Ann Arbor, Mich. waaaay back in the day... he was doing convention security as Yang the Merciless and his Mongol Hordes. There's some trivia for anyone whose an MYTH fan. 

-Grey Lady


	17. Remus Checks In

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.

* * *

Chapter 17: Remus Checks In

Snape had been in a torture of anticipation since his last conversation with Lupin. The other wizard had not called him, as promised, to apprise him of the latest news, but instead had sent an enigmatic e-mail the day following the call, saying merely "Nothing to report… meetings upcoming." 

Two days later there was another e-mail, apparently sent the evening before. It said simply "H.G. is on the case. Will meet again in two days. Meeting at Goodge Street tomorrow. Will call in the evening."

It was nearly eleven p.m. on the day of the meeting when the call finally came. By London time it was actually very early the next morning. Lupin apologised, stating he had been detained and had not been home since the meeting. It seemed he'd been obliged to come out for a drink with some of the boys at Walsh's and the ensuing revelries had gone on a bit late.

"Did you think that was wise, fraternizing with the hired help?" Snape asked incredulously.

"Really, Snape, it wasn't like that. But I do think Walsh's people are trying to suss me out a bit. They may be guns for hire, so to speak, but I really think they would draw the line at aiding international terrorists. I needed to allay any fears that we are trying to cause anyone harm. The device I have discussed with them is virtually harmless to human life. But it can be used in a damaging way so I wanted to assure them that was not our purpose."

"What, exactly have you told them our purpose was? And who have you told them we are?"

"I've told them as little as possible except to suggest that we are trying to stop a very bad and crazy man from doing something terrible. I think as long as they are satisfied that we aren't the bad crazy people they will help us - for the right amount of money, of course."

"Which will be how much, exactly?"

"Development fees will ring in around £700,000. The actual cost of each device we need built is approximately £300,000."

"So – a million pounds, then." Snape felt a bit faint. 

"Actually more like a million and a half. We'll probably need two devices: one to rehearse with and one to actually pull off the sting. And we will probably require some additional special effects, lasers, pyrotechnics, etc. to put on a really good show. It's going to be a bit like making a film. They recommend hiring a few people to play dead at the scene... to make it look as though our little item can really do some serious damage. In fact, they'll rent some movie cameras and purchase a permit to shoot a movie in the neighbourhood we're going to use, just so we don't rouse any suspicions. They'll provide us with some out-of-work actors who would work for what they call 'scale', and they have someone on staff who will, er, stage-manage the whole thing. 

"And the really beautiful part of this is, with the movie permit, we'll even have police co-operation. They'll close off the area and no one will be allowed in. Of course, we can't let our mark see the cameras. But the others who will be involved will be made to think all the action is just part of the movie."

Even Snape had to admit this sounded like a brilliant cover-up for their activities. They'd be able to stage as elaborate a spectacle as they wished and the local Muggle populace would not be alarmed. "Sounds like your boys have thought of everything," he replied petulantly.

"But there is something important I have to tell you, Snape. It's about the young lady at the Goodge Street office who acts as a sort of special co-ordinator."

"Lupin, I have no interest whatsoever in your romantic escapades," Snape replied with a bored expression. 

"No, no, you misunderstand. She's named Morgan LaFay, and I'm pretty sure she's a witch."

Snape was instantly alarmed. "One of ours? Or one of Voldemort's?"

"If she's one of ours she seemed to have no idea who I was, and I think even one of Voldemort's people might have recognized me. No, I think she's an adept of the Mundane dimension. She might not even be aware of her powers. But I certainly caught a whiff of them as soon as she shook hands with me."

"Well, the name is certainly a big coincidence. I hope you're bloody well doing everything you can to find out who the hell she is! If she's a Death Eater plant this compromises our entire plan." 

"If she's one of ours and she's registered with the Ministry, I can have Hermione find out for us. Otherwise I'm not sure what channels I could go through to find out who she is," Lupin replied, too calmly for Snape's liking

Snape's heart sank. Without his presence things seemed to be getting out of control. "I need to be there, Lupin. There are too many unknown factors at work here. How soon can you get me that passport?"  

"Ah, Severus, we've been over and over that," Remus sighed. "You need to stay where you are. Am I not keeping you informed?"

"I'm not sure I can trust you to deal with this as thoroughly as I would." Snape hissed; a vein in his temple began twitching uncontrollably. He took a breath and tried to calm himself. For the time being he'd just have to let Lupin get on with it. His co-conspirator was clearly ducking the entire issue of the passport, and without it, he was stuck where he was. He was going to have to think of a way to obtain one on his own, or contact Walsh's himself and have it sent directly to him. For that he would need a telephone number or address... but how to obtain that? 

For the moment, he decided it was best to change the subject rather than arouse Lupin's suspicions. "So, have you contacted Devani yet? And how is the search for Plotkin going?"

"I spoke with Hermione Granger yesterday. She's going through the Ministry records looking for last known addresses. She's to report to me tomorrow."

"And exactly what good is that going to do? If they have vanished they aren't likely to have informed the Ministry of their whereabouts." Snape replied in a voice brimming with sarcasm.

"It will at least give me a place to start." 

"I told you where I thought they were. Why don't you start there?" 

"Do you intend for me to conduct this search on my own? Am I not rather busy plotting and scheming on your behalf?"

Snape's reply was an exasperated sigh. "Get someone you trust to assist you then, if you must."

"I thought that was what I _was_ doing, by asking Miss Granger to look them up. At any rate let me find out what she has to report," Lupin continued. "It might all be moot... they could, as you suggested, be right under our noses. Also, I must point out that you are overlooking something quite obvious: if they have disappeared for some reason having to do with the Death Eaters, Albus might very well know where they are hiding, and why. He is, after all, better informed on these matters than the Ministry is." 

"We'll just keep Albus out of this for the time being, shall we?"

"I do still think we could pull this off without getting Devani and Plotkin involved. I think we'd have other willing operatives at our disposal, and these fellows are too much of an unknown quantity for my taste."

"All right, supposing we don't find them, what other recruits did you have in mind?"

"Miss Granger herself seems willing to participate in a bit of intrigue. Apparently she is quite bored with her position at the Ministry."

"Interesting choice." No one would suspect a mere girl, thought Severus. With her tendencies to be a know-it-all and a busy-body, she might be the very person to plausibly leak information to the 'wrong' party. Which reminded him -  what might her former classmate, the very conflicted young Mr. Malfoy, be up to? 

"Now let's see then, who else can we ask? What about Malfoy?" Snape added innocently.

"Who? Lucius? God, man, you know he's been a dedicated Death Eater for years," Remus replied, aghast.

"No, no, not Lucius… his son, Draco." 

"Ah yes, I seem to recall his allegiances were as yet undecided when he graduated."

"I should say he's pretty well decided now. In spite of my rather strenuous attempts to influence him to the contrary, he has followed his father's wishes and joined the ranks of the Death Eaters, much to my despair. He's reportedly operating undercover in London, and living somewhere in the vicinity of Knockturn Alley."

"You're better informed than I, then, but now that you mention him I think I spotted him today in the Leaky Cauldron. I had quite forgotten that in all the excitement."

"Really?" Snape asked with a hint of satisfaction. For once he knew something Lupin did not. "Potter and Weasley have had their eye on him for ages. Seems he's becoming a bit of a key player, and something of a golden haired boy." The last statement was an embellishment; he actually knew no such thing. But he had inferred from something Potter and Weasley had said when they appeared at Hogwarts on the eve of his and Nora's departure that Draco had been involved somehow in an imminent Death Eater intrusion. They had been watching for signs: when Malfoy had gone on the move, they had followed. It stood to reason that if they had been watching him it was with good cause.

"So what exactly did you have in mind for him?" Lupin asked.

"I'm thinking, being young and a bit on the impressionable side, that we just might be able to use him without his knowledge!"

"Use him? How?"

"By selling him a bill of goods to pass along to Voldemort about the Mundane Dimension, you nit! Have you not been paying attention?" Snape asked in exasperation.

"Naturally, but it just took me by surprise that you would think of using someone so young and inexperienced. I would hardly think Voldemort would trust any information young Malfoy might bring him."

"Why not, especially if it's something he would dearly want to hear? And I'm thinking that Hermione might be the right person to feed him disinformation"

"Oh dear!" groaned Lupin. "I wonder how she'll feel about doing that."

* * *

NEXT: Nora Has Her Say

* * *

A/N

Things were a bit more reasonable this week so I found some time to write, and fix a plot problem that's been plaguing me since before Christmas. THAT chapter won't be posted until I've written a few more, but until then, here's another installment! I hope it partially answers a few questions... and maybe raises a few new ones.

Cheers!

-Grey Lady


	18. Nora Has Her Say

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.  


* * *

Chapter 18: Nora Has Her Say

"How goes the plot, then?" Nora asked, pleasantly. She had come up behind him as he hung up the phone and was putting her hands on his shoulders, rubbing the tension from nape of his neck gently with her thumbs. He closed his eyes and leaned back into her strong and soothing caress.

"It's going very well, I think" he said, turning to kiss her lightly on the lips but giving her a penetrating glance as he did so. He sensed that her mind was in a far greater turmoil than her words and demeanour belied. 

"Remus and the Goodge Street people have come up with some excellent ideas for setting up a way to bring Voldemort through to the Mundane side," he continued. "I'm a bit worried about those people, though. Can they be trusted? How did they strike you when you met them?"

"You mean J. M. Walsh & Associates?" Nora said quizzically. "I think they're in the business of being discrete. I don't think they question who they work for, and I doubt they'd pass information on to anyone else." 

He became aware that in her agitated state, random images of her visit to London with Remus floated to the surface of her memory. Could he exploit this to extract some information from her without her knowledge?

"But what were their offices like... did they seem like a fly-by-night operation or well-established?"

Nora pondered for a moment, and her mental image of the front of the building – complete with a numbered plaque – was his for the plundering. "They were in a very good district, nice building. It looked like they'd been there a while - like a law office or something, which I suppose is what most people think they are."

"Well, I suppose that's some comfort," Snape grimaced, inwardly jubilant that he had managed to get a street address as well as a business name from her ruminations. Now he had only to figure out the postal code and he was ready to correspond with them. 

"So, then, are things are proceeding smoothly without you being there?" she added hopefully, continuing to rub his shoulders while facing him.

"Nora, why must we be at such odds on this issue? Both you and Lupin seem to act as though I have no idea how to protect myself. Besides, if I did go back, how much danger could I be in if I stay in Mundane London?"

"Well, we don't really know, do we? Do we know for an absolute certainty that there are no Death Eaters in Mundane London?"

"Remus hasn't seen or detected any, and after all, he has the wizard detector."

"Oh, yes, that magical-tag map-thingy. OK, granted you'd most likely be safe there, but I just know you wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to keep checking on things on the Magical side." Severus didn't answer this; he knew she was right. "So, darling, why increase your exposure? I can see that you'd want to be there when the time comes… but we don't really know what will happen if they manage to bring Voldemort through. He might be able to tap into some force we don't know about and become more powerful than ever!!"

"If that happens, none of us will be safe. Do you think I'd allow my fellow wizards to risk that kind of danger without my being present?"

"Of course not. You wouldn't want anyone to be in any danger you were unwilling to face on your own. But you do understand that you are probably in more personal peril than anyone?"

Severus grimaced in reply. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had willingly placed himself in that position.

Nora took a step back with resignation. "I know you have to be there for the final showdown. Just promise me you'll hold out until the last possible moment." 

He reached out to put his arms around her and draw her close. "Nora, know that I love you more than words can say. I have no desire to leave you, ever, if I had the choice. But my duty is clear. One day I will have to return and fight this battle."

"Yes. And I will return with you, when the time comes."

"No. No! You will remain here, safe and sound, until I return for you," he declared vehemently. 

Nora shot him an ironic smile. "So what's sauce for the gander is obviously NOT sauce for the goose."    

"This is not your battle. I can't allow you to become involved."

"Once upon a time, you told me that what Voldemort could do might affect everyone in my 'pleasant little corner of the universe'. Don't you think I might want to help to stop him if I could?" 

"I said that before I knew this dimension even existed. And tell, me, dearest, just how will you be able to help?" Severus asked her with a patronising smile. 

Nora was suddenly furious. "You might recall, I'm not powerless in this dimension, unlike some of your fellow wizards who may lose their abilities when they cross over. I was born here! The forces I called upon to help fight the Death Eaters that day at Hogwarts are still at my disposal here, right here, inside me," she said, rapping her chest violently with her closed hand. 

Severus blinked. Nora was right. She had been able to tap the dark side of her own healing power to manipulate the physical weaknesses of two of Voldemort's minions, causing their deaths, and had actually killed one man without even touching him. Such a witch would make a formidable weapon in the battle to come. 

But at what cost to her? It has nearly torn her apart when she had realized that she had killed two men in the heat of anger, by using a power that was supposed to heal, not harm. And by coming with him, she would be exposing herself to unknown danger. He could not allow her to take the risk. When the time came to return to London, he would make sure he went alone. If that meant using subterfuge to prevent her following him, then so be it.

* * * 

Poppy Pomfrey was having her lunch in the Great Hall when the owl arrived, along with several others bearing missives for Hogwarts professors now in residence at the school, in preparation for the coming term.

She knew even before seeing the return address that it was a letter from Nora: the very odd-looking air-mail envelope and the unfamiliar postage stamps, completely unnecessary for normal communications, told her the letter had come from outside this dimension.

She read the letter with great pleasure and interest. But she became very concerned when she read a passage that said Severus had a "bee in his bonnet" about wanting to return to London. "Dear, dear," she clucked to under her breath. "That simply will not do." 

"What won't do, Poppy?" Albus asked, looking up from his bowl of chanterelle soup. 

Poppy blushed without looking up, knowing that she would likely be betraying a confidence if she said anything further. "Oh, it's nothing, Albus. Pardon my muttering."

Headmaster Dumbledore glanced meaningfully at her over the tops of his half glasses. "What is that you're reading?" he asked. "Have you had a letter from our Miss Sterling?" 

Doesn't miss a thing, Poppy thought ruefully, reading on and ignoring his query. Dear me, this was disturbing. _I am very concerned about his safety and I don't want to see him leaping back into the fray,_ she read. Whatever did that mean?

Albus was still scrutinizing her. "You are frowning, Poppy. Is there some bad news?"

"No, not at all. Everything's going along swimmingly. Severus and Nora are very happy," she choked out.

"Pardon me, Poppy, but your expression tells me differently. And I'm afraid I'll be forced to do something totally against my principles, if you don't hand me that letter." Poppy continued to frown furiously and attempted to cover the note. Albus drew out his wand. "You leave me no choice; I must see it!" Waving his wand in the direction of the letter he incanted _"Legibilis Atmospheros"_. The words of the letter literally floated off the page and streamed up and out in a glowing golden ribbon above Poppy's head. Reading the now airborne message with a grim look on his face, Dumbledore suddenly swore and banged his hand on the table so violently that chanterelle soup was splashed all down the front of his robe. 

"Damn Severus! What the devil is that infuriating man up to NOW?"

* * *

NEXT: The Wrath of a Headmaster

  


* * *

A/N

Sorry, sorry, sorry, to take so long between updates. I have a REALLY good excuse, but you don't want to hear about my hard-drive crash, the week it took me to recover, all the (paying clients') work I've had to catch up on because of it, etc. etc. etc... I have not even had time to write any new chapers but because there are STILL people out there interested enough in this story to nag me to update, I'm posting two from my stash, even though I like to stay a few chapters ahead of what I've posted (In case I want to go back and change anything I've written...) 

Thanks to those who are still with me.

- Grey Lady.


	19. The Wrath of a Headmaster

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.  


* * *

Chapter 19: The Wrath of a Headmaster

Without pausing to wipe the remains of his lunch from his robes, Albus Dumbledore rose from the head table and left the Great Hall in such a hurry that Poppy Pomfrey was left starting at his retreating back with shock and dismay. Never had she witnessed such an outburst of temper from the elderly wizard. Surely he must have been able to read more into that letter than she had. She felt terrible that whatever Nora had told her in confidence had gotten away from her, in spite of her best intentions. Worse, she now had the feeling that something was somehow dreadfully wrong, but she had no idea what it was.

* * * 

Albus entered his inner office and sat down. Pinching the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger he pondered what to do next. He had had a fear that Snape would not be content to stay quietly where he was... now it appeared that being exiled in another dimension had not prevented him from plotting to return to the battle zone. Having Lupin posted in the Mundane dimension suddenly did not seem to be such a wonderful idea, as no doubt Snape was using him as a contact. It was confirmed from Nora's letter that he wanted to return to Britain. And there was only one reason Albus could think of for his wanting to do that. 

He needed to communicate with Lupin, as he was most likely, if anyone was, to have an inkling of what Severus was planning. But with no direct way to communicate with the Mundane Dimension, he would be forced to pass a message on through someone else in Magical London. Without Welkin of Weatherby to rely on, that someone would have to be his currently most trusted contact in the Ministry, Hermione Granger. He knew that Lupin checked in with the Ministry on a regular basis, but would he necessarily contact Hermione unless he had a reason to? Or would he be forced to tell her about the Mundane dimension, so that she could carry the message to him?

He decided it would be best to wait until Lupin visited the Ministry. Hermione would have to be instructed to keep an eye peeled for his arrival and intercept him if possible. 

He first composed a note to Lupin:

    _ Remus:_
    _  
I have had word that Mr. Snape is planning to return home against my express wishes. Has he perhaps communicated anything of his intentions to you? _
    _Any, and I do mean ANY, information which you might have on this subject will be most appreciated. _
    _Do be cognizant that I will be MOST displeased, with the onset of the school year so fast upon us, if I am required to come down to London in person._
    _- Albus Dumbledore._

This message was sealed and marked "Private".

Next he composed a covering letter to Hermione:

    _My dear Miss Granger:_
    _  
It is imperative that you pass along the enclosed to Remus Lupin at your earliest opportunity. He may visit the Ministry offices any time in the next few days. Do take care to look out for his arrival._
    _Be sure to complete this assignment personally: the enclosed is extremely confidential and should not be trusted to a Ministry clerk to pass along. _
    _  
- Albus Dumbledore_

Dumbledore then summoned his personal owl and instructed her to carry the message to Hermione's personal living quarters in Magical London. It would be there by the time she had returned home from work.

* * * 

Remus saw Hermione waiting on the sidewalk for him outside the Muggle café where he had met her only a couple of days previously. He smiled broadly at the young lady. Even at the age of twenty-two she still had a certain schoolgirl charm, with her crisply pleated skirt and white blouse, but her face was creased with concern. Remus gave her a questioning glance. She indicated it would be better to wait until they were seated. He got them some coffee and joined her in a booth.

"First of all, my search didn't turn up anything on Plotkin. But Mr. Devani and his family have gone back to India to stay with his wife's parents. I have an address in Jaipur," she said, pushing a scrap of paper at him.

"Good, thanks, I'll look into that," Remus replied, knowing that he would probably do no such thing. "I'll also need you to look up someone else for me. See if you can find any information about a witch named Morgan LaFay."

"The historical one?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her nose.

"No, someone of our generation who goes about by that name. It might not even be her real name. I think she spells it with two 'a's'." 

"Right, I'll see what I can find out. But I have to tell you right away, that I had a message from Dumbledore yesterday, which I'm supposed to pass on to you. There's definitely something about the tone of this I don't like."

Remus was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I can read things sometimes from letters and notes. Well, naturally I can _read_ them, but it's more than that… I can tell just by holding it what the person was feeling at the time they wrote the message. I don't even have to look at it… it's like it just comes off the paper."

Not so unusual an ability for a seer, Remus thought, but he did not recall that she had exhibited this particular talent in her school days. "All right then, what are you reading from this?"

Hermione answered with a direct gaze, as though gauging his reaction. "From his note to me: friendship, warmth, concern, but some anger. The anger is not directed towards me, though. From his note to you, which naturally I have not read, I am sensing extreme anger. Some of it's directed towards you. Most of it is directed towards Professor Snape."

"Oh dear." Lupin sighed. "I suppose I'd better read it right away, then." He opened the sealed message and read silently. "Damn," he muttered under his breath.

Hermione had not taken her eyes off him. "I'm guessing that this has something to do with what you asked me to do for you, and that Professor Dumbledore really doesn't know anything about it." It was plain she was disappointed in him for lying to her.

Remus answered her unwavering gaze with guilt in his eyes. "It's true that Dumbledore doesn't know that I asked you to help me look up those two wizards. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole truth."

"Then if you expect me to keep on helping you, you'd better come clean," she replied crisply. "It sounds like you're in enough hot water already, even if I don't tell him what you asked me to do. And I won't, but only if you let me in on this!"

He sensed her excitement and was amused at her thirst for intrigue. "It looks like I may have to come clean to Dumbledore in any event, so I suppose there's no harm in filling you in. But you have to swear it will go no farther." 

Hermione made a locking gesture next to her faintly smiling lips, but her eyes shone with mischief.   

"All right… you do know that Snape has gone into hiding. He is very far away, in fact, but I can't say where. He has been in touch with me and he wants to come home. He's working on a plan to defeat Voldemort and he's looking for recruits to help him carry it out. He knows that Dumbledore would disapprove heartily, so naturally, he's been told nothing about it, against my better instincts, I might add. Until now, that is. It seems something, or someone, has tipped him off," he said meaningfully.

"It wasn't me, and that's not the whole story," Hermione said accusingly. "I can tell you're leaving out something rather major."

"Such as?" Remus eyed her narrowly. This young witch was too perceptive, by half.

"Such as how he plans to defeat You-Know-Who. He must have a pretty good idea, and it would have to be something no one else has tried before. Otherwise, don't you think we would have succeeded by now? And you must think it's a pretty good idea yourself, or you wouldn't be going along with it. Since when would you ever side with Snape against Dumbledore's wishes?"

Remus chuckled ruefully but couldn't answer right away. How much could he tell her? "It has something to do with where Snape is," he began carefully. "He's in another dimension, where magical objects do not work, and where wizards can lose many of their powers. They may retain some of them of course… native abilities that you might not need a wand to use. Your skill at reading feelings from letters, for example."

The young woman nodded imperceptibly. "I've heard of this place. I thought it was just a silly story. It's a world very much like ours, but with no magic in it."

"How have you heard?" 

"Ginny Weasley. She says she's actually been there. I though it was a crock, naturally. She's a bit odd these days, that girl. Like she's got some big secret nobody else knows about and she's enjoying it immensely." 

"Hmm, well, Ginny does have rather a large secret, and for the sake of the entire Weasley clan I hope no one finds out about it. She's been a rather naughty girl, in fact. But I cannot get into that now." Noting Hermione's look of concern, he quickly added, "Oh, not Dark Magic-naughty. Just terribly indiscrete."

"Is this like when she was writing to Tom Riddle through his enchanted diary, and he made her do all those terrible things?" 

"Erm, well, no. This time she seems to know exactly what she's doing. And it's not something that would be a particular problem as long as folks in _this_ dimension don't find out about it."

"So she has been to another dimension and she's done something bad there?" 

"I'm not aware that she's actually visited this other dimension, but she's certainly been in touch with someone who lives there, and, I'm sad to say, has broken Ministry protocol." 

"And I assume you're not going to fill me in," she said.

"Just at the moment, no."

"All right, what can you tell me?" She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice. "Because as long as Professor Snape is looking for recruits, you can count me in!"

"Let's just back up a moment, shall we?" he chuckled, surprised by her enthusiasm. "You're forgetting I've been charged to tell Dumbledore what I know. That might effectively cancel the entire plot."

"But, Mr. Lupin," she said coyly, "you don't have to tell him anything right away. He has no idea I was meeting you today, so he needn't be aware that you've even received his message yet." 

"You know, I'm beginning to think you were sorted into the wrong house, young lady. Perhaps you should have been a Slytherin."

Hermione laughed aloud at this. "I'm only suggesting that you have a little time—at least a day—to think about what you're going to tell him."

"What can I possibly tell him but the truth? I feel badly enough that I have hidden this much information from him for this long. I should have contacted Albus as soon as Snape got in touch with me in the first place. Except I promised him that I wouldn't."

"Of course you to want to keep your promises, but you should tell Dumbledore the truth if you feel you must. But at least you'll have a bit of time to think about _how_ you'll tell him, because if it's really that great an idea he might just be willing to let Snape carry it out."

"Perhaps," Remus said doubtfully, "but the outcome of the whole thing is such an unknown I'm sure Albus will veto it."

"Do you think it's worth trying?"

"Yes, I do. I really think it might work. But if it doesn't, it might put a lot of people in danger.  I'm also afraid it might unleash Voldemort's evil on an entire unsuspecting dimension."

"All right, you are going to have to fill me in a little more on this other dimension business, and tell me just exactly what you fellows have in mind. And by the way, are you hungry? Just looking at that hamburger platter the waitress just served the next table is making my stomach growl!"

Over a light supper, Remus Lupin told Hermione Granger as much as he felt she needed to know about the Mundane dimension and Snape's plan. Since Snape had already indicated that he wanted to use her to pass information to Draco Malfoy, he did not feel he was being too premature in filling her in. 

The fact that Miss Granger was revealing a devious streak he had until now been unaware of, made him realise that she would be an excellent addition to the team – that was, if the plot were allowed to continue after Dumbledore knew what was going on. He did feel a bit squeamish about telling her what Snape had in mind for her to do, however. Perhaps that detail could wait until after things were a confirmed "go" with Dumbledore.

With that thought he suddenly had a major headache: first of all, how should he approach this with Dumbledore? And secondly, should he reveal to Snape that the older wizard was making inquiries? 

Answering the second question caused him a moment's guilt, but the way was clear. If Snape knew that Dumbledore suspected anything he might just do something rash, like hop on a plane and come here in person. That had to be prevented at all costs. So, for the time being at least, Snape had to remain in the dark.

As to what to tell Dumbledore, he decided to follow Hermione's advice and sleep on that.

* * *

NEXT: Summoned to Hogwarts

  



	20. Summoned to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: 

All characters in the story are the property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, with the exception of Eleanora Sterling and a few supporting characters, who are my own creations. This story is created purely for the entertainment of myself and other like-minded readers and no copyright infringement is intended. 

By mentioning J.K. Rowling in this story I do not intend to present her as a fictional character or to imply that the Harry Potter books are not her own 100% original works.

Any opinions, political or otherwise, on world events, personages or governments expressed in these pages, are the opinions of the characters speaking them and not necessarily those of the author.  


* * *

Chapter 20: Summoned to Hogwarts

Two days later, Lupin realised that he could no longer hold off Dumbledore. In the interim he had spoken to Snape and told him that Devani was in India and Plotkin was not to be found, in Armenia or elsewhere, it seemed. In any event, while he would be happy to owl Rakesh Devani on his behalf, did Snape really want to waste his or someone else's resources looking for Plotkin? Grudgingly, Snape agreed that the plan could probably go forth without troubling either wizard. 

The former potions master seemed quite pleased to hear that Miss Granger could be counted upon. When Remus mentioned how surprised he was at Hermione's conniving streak, Snape replied "I always knew that girl had it in her, from the way she used to conspire with Potter and Weasley to investigate things they had no business knowing about. She may have appeared to be a bookish little mouse, but I had a feeling that one day she might make an excellent spy." He paused for a moment. "Now, what can you tell me about this Morgan LaFay woman? Do we have any word on her yet?"

"Not much I'm afraid. I did speak to someone who works with her, and it seems that she's worked for Walsh's for some time. So it's highly unlikely that she's a Death Eater plant sent to spy on me specifically. As to whether she lives in the Mundane dimension or ours, or if she's a registered wizard or not, I've asked Miss Granger to look into it. I should have an answer shortly."

"If it turns out she's not registered, then it is highly likely that she's an adept, like Nora?"  This was more of a statement than a question.

"Quite probably."

"Either way, be sure you handle this very carefully. If she is from our dimension, even if she is not a Death Eater plant, we should be sure that she doesn't get wind of what we're really up to until we are sure we can trust her."

"I had no plans of telling her anything more than I have already told her associates. None of them has an inkling of what we're 'really up to.'"

Lupin breathed a sigh of relief when that conversation was over. At least Snape was none the wiser about Dumbledore finding out that he planned to come home, and his partner in crime had a much bigger problem to stew about: the Goodge Street witch.

Now, the matter of what to tell Dumbledore: unfortunately, that conversation was not going to take place over the telephone. For this, he was going to have to go up to Hogwarts in person. To that end, he composed a note to be owled to the headmaster and took it across to the Ministry office. Thank goodness travelling between Mundane and Muggle London was as easy as getting in the Underground and walking through a doorway at King's Cross Station. At this rate, he would soon be finding himself going back and forth several times as day. 

     Albus: 
       
Coming up to Hogsmeade tomorrow morning.   
  
Have Hagrid meet me at the Three Broomsticks with the cart. Will tell you what I can when I see you.  
  
Regards,  
  
R. Lupin 

Once he had mailed his note at the Owl Post counter in the Ministry office, he arranged transportation to Hogsmeade. Since one is not allowed to apparate on Hogwarts grounds, it was necessary to go to the village instead and make his way up to the school from there. The Hogwarts Express wouldn't run until first day of classes. Accordingly a portkey was set up for him leaving at 8:00 a.m. from an alleyway directly behind the Ministry office. He'd have to set up a return key once he got to Hogwarts and knew when he'd be coming back.

* * * 

Hogsmeade, Scotland, in late August was certainly not as warm as London. Remus noted with displeasure that he had not dressed warmly enough for the visit. He'd also have to see if he could borrow some robes once he reached the castle. He had almost gotten too used to wearing Muggle clothing, and Vera had been a strong influence on his tastes. Wearing robes almost seemed a foreign idea to him these days. 

Hagrid arrived with the cart moments after he had popped up near the Three Broomsticks. He'd brought a friend along: Remus grinned as "Snuffles" leapt from the cart and licked his hand joyfully. Thank goodness Sirius Black wasn't as free with his affections when he was in human form; at least not with Remus, at any rate. Ruffling the black dog's shaggy fur, he climbed up into the donkey cart next to Hagrid and they set off around the lake to the castle. 

"Would ha' brought the boat," Hagrid commented, "but the squid's been actin' a bit nasty lately, so I thought it'd be safer ter drive yeh over. Side's, Snuffles 'ere doesn't like the water much, do yeh, boy?" he said, scratching the dog behind the ears. 

"Where has Snuffles been staying while I was away?" Remus asked.

"Oh, he's been bunkin' in with me and Fang. We've been gettin' along famously, we have," Hagrid replied. Snuffles rewarded him with a tongue-lolling grin.

Amazing, really, thought Remus, that Hagrid regarded the animagus so affectionately, when just a few short years ago Sirius Black was one of the most feared and hated wizards in the realm, next to Voldemort himself - still was, in most parts, since he hadn't yet been fully exonerated. But here on Hogwarts grounds, at least, he was loved and respected by a small select circle of wizards who knew the truth. How long would it be before Sirius could show his face freely in society again, without having to disguise himself as a dog? Probably not until Peter Pettigrew was finally apprehended.

Hagrid let Lupin and the dog off at the imposing front entrance to the school and with a cheery wave drove the donkey cart back to the stables. Lupin entered tentatively, his stomach sinking. The moment of truth was at hand... and he still did not have a clue as to how he was going to handle this. 

Once inside, Sirius reverted to his human form. "Good to see you, Remus. How are things in London?" 

"It's been interesting," Remus admitted. "But we can catch up later. I should get going - I have an important meeting with Dumbledore."

"So I gathered," Sirius said with a slight smirk. "Seems he's rather peeved about something. Hope everything goes well for you…"

Lupin grimaced and nodded stiffly in reply and made his way to the headmaster's office. As it was still summer, a password was not required: Albus did not usually place his student-repelling charms until the school year started. Knocking on the elder wizard's door, he felt as guilty and nervous as a student sent up for playing a prank.

The door opened soundlessly and Lupin ventured in. Albus was seated in his inner office, waiting grimly. Lupin took the seat opposite Dumbledore's desk.  "Good day, Albus," he said softly. "I trust you've been well?"

"Very well, thank you. And yourself?" Albus replied coolly.

"Good, thank you."

"Things have been quiet in the Mundane dimension, have they?" Albus asked. 

Remus' stomach gave an uneasy flip. "I have not detected any unauthorized wizard activity, if that's what you're asking."

"Funny that you should put it that way," Dumbledore replied. "I have a distinct feeling that there's a certain wizard in Mundane North America who _is_ engaging in some unauthorized activity, and that you may, in fact, know something about it." 

"You're referring to Snape, I presume?" Lupin suppressed an audible gulp.

"It has come to my attention that he's planning to return, against my wishes, and that it appears he's asked for your assistance in some matter. Can you kindly enlighten me?"

"Ah, well, the fact is… he has asked me if I can obtain another passport for him."

"And what is wrong with the passport he currently has?" 

"The – um- transfiguration that Minerva performed on it... with the text and photograph and so forth... did not appear to hold once they got over to the Mundane dimension. Therefore it was useless. I gather he had to use some sort of mind control on a customs agent in order to get into the country."

"Dear, dear. That must have been very awkward for him. So he has requested that you obtain a replacement. And have you?"

"I did put in an order for one and I believe it was just completed, but have no immediate plans to send it to him."

"And why not?"

"Because, Sir, I knew you would not want him to use it." Remus was surprised to find himself referring to his former headmaster as though he were still a student.

"Ah, that was very admirable of you. But why did you bother at all to have it made?"

Remus squirmed uncomfortably. "It seemed best to get one ready for him just in case he needed to return home on short notice. They are good for a few years, and I thought, why not…"

"And why, pray tell, did you not inform me directly of his request?"

"Erm, well, I just thought you'd be so busy planning the upcoming semester that you wouldn't want to be concerned with such a frivolous detail."

"Thank you for your consideration, but I think I should be the judge of what details should concern me, and which should not," Dumbledore said dryly.

"Quite." Remus choked.

"So, do you have an idea _why_ Snape wants to return to Europe, when he knows that to do so would be a death sentence for him?"

"Well, I really do not think he's planning to return here to Hogwarts so much as that he has an idea of staying in Mundane London, Sir," Remus explained. "I think he feels he'd be far more useful there than where is at present."

"Since there's currently no Death Eater activity in Mundane London, why would he feel a need to be there?"

"I suppose he feels he'd be more readily available if he were needed here."

"No doubt he does feel that way, but it's far too close for comfort. Naturally, his return is out of the question."

"Naturally. I'm in complete, 100% agreement with you on that score." Remus sat back with the faint hope that perhaps this would be all there would be to the interrogation. 

"Now, why do I have the feeling there's something you're not telling me?" Albus asked abruptly.

"Erm, what do you mean?" he replied, caught off guard.

"Knowing Severus Snape as well as I do, as brave as he has proved himself to be on many an occasion, I do not believe he'd willingly place himself into danger unless he had some hope of prevailing. In other words, he wouldn't come back here unless he had an something up his sleeve. Is he by any chance planning something?"

Remus looked blankly at him for a moment, as he considered his options. He would not likely get away with lying to the elder wizard, and that would cost him Dumbledore's trust forever. Nothing was worth that. Best to tell the truth then, but could it be told in such a way as to intrigue his superior?

"Knowing how magical forces and wizards' abilities are greatly reduced in the Mundane dimension, Snape has a very interesting theory about what might happen to Voldemort if he were somehow induced to cross over."

Dumbledore pondered this for a few moments, his eyes narrowed contemplatively. "Does he presume that Voldemort's powers would somehow be nullified?" he asked.

"Not just his powers, Sir. Snape believes, and I'll admit I am inclined to agree, that Voldemort _himself_ might be nullified. His current physical form has been created out of a purely spiritual one by several dark spells. Dark magic is the glue that holds him together. If he were to be suddenly introduced into an environment where dark magic does not exist, then…"

"Poof. No more Lord Voldemort."

* * *

NEXT: The Headmaster's Plan


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